Merging
by cy-grl
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow in his home. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy. Post-war. Friendship.
1. Of lives so changed

_**"Of lives so changed"**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews. Is this worthy enough to be continued?  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

_

* * *

_

I am Kurosaki Ichigo. On first glance one would say I look like a regular student.

I have to admit, I haven't been very into school lately for various reasons. And even if I tried, I feel different. Like I don't fit in anymore. Most of my peers are worried about their scores, about not being allowed to go out, about getting a driver's license; stuff like that.  
Me? I mainly worry about the sake of the world, in this life and the next, about my friends surviving fights in the afterlife, about maniacs who invade my hometown; stuff like _that_.

But. Finally. The War is over.

And honestly, during all that time – fighting, killing, healing, fighting again and so on – I haven't felt this nervous for as long as I remember.

That's right. I'm so nervous I think I might keel over any second.

At this moment, I am on my way to Urahara Shoten, where I will be meeting my nemesis.

That's right. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. Sexta Espada, blue haired menace, minion of Aizen, spawned into the universe for one sole purpose: to kill me.  
The reason for my visit? Urahara needed to discuss some things concerning where he should live. That's the part that unnerves me the most.

Again, I am asking myself how I have ended up in this most unfortunate situation.

It was Nel's fault, really, because she had pulled my sleeve and she had pointed towards him with pity. Although, that's what I keep telling myself. I try to leave out the part where _I_, of all people, decided he didn't deserve to be left in Hueco Mundo to die in the desert.

I'm not very well informed on what happened to Grimmjow ever since he was given to Urahara. But I do know that with the War over and Aizen dead, Ukitake-soutaichou didn't see the need to have him executed. Instead, he is to remain in the human world, without Pantera and his immense power. Urahara made him a gigai. I wonder what it looks like.

I guess I'm about to find out, since I'm almost there.

Perhaps I left out the most important part. Besides having Grimmjow exiled, Ukitake also decided that I am the one to keep this situation under control. Me. Ichigo. One who is not pleased with this settlement. One who regrets his earlier decisions. Ugh.

"Ichigo."

Urahara greets me. Despite the fan he's weaving in front of his face, I can see the sneaky bastard smiling at me. Or, he is secretly laughing his ass off because I have put myself in quite the situation again; or, perhaps he did lose some tension since the War's over. Soul Society had offered the Vizard a place to stay again, in gratitude of their help. Although he declined instantly, I can imagine he's happy with the way things turned out in the end.

"Urahara-san. Renji. It's nice to see you again."

Great, Renji's here. On any other occasion, I would've been delighted to see him, but I've got this hunch he's just here to witness one of the most awkward moments of my life. I can imagine how I would feel if I were him, he still hasn't forgotten about what Grimmjow did to Rukia. Neither have I. But it was me eventually who got Grimmjow to survive. I hope Renji doesn't think I'm a total dick.

"Follow me, Ichigo."

I walk behind Urahara and Renji, and I feel like someone who's being lead into a creepy dungeon, where bad things will happen. I sigh.

Urahara opens the door, and I catch a glimpse of blue hair.

There he is.

I think I've stopped breathing for a moment.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques.

I instantly want to wipe that shitty smile off his face. He's leaning against the wall, like he owns the damn place, smirking like an idiot, mocking me. Good start, I can feel it.

"Kurosaki," he growls, friendlier than I would've expected. Perhaps he is grateful for living after all.

"Grimmjow," I growl back, unfriendlier than I had intended.

His gigai is... so human. He looks the same as his Espada self except for the jaw and the clothes. He's wearing jeans and a black hoodie. It looks weird on him.

He's been at Urahara's for quite some time, now that I think of it. I wonder if the old man calls him 'freeloader-san' as well. I can't imagine Grimmjow doing anything contributing to the welfare of the Shoten.

I swear this is one of the weirdest moments of my life. I admit, I can be slightly socially retarded from time to time, especially with girls, but normally I manage to say _something_ at least. Now, I'm totally lost for words. I feel that I'm staring at him.

"Cat got your tongue?" Grimmjow says. Typical.

I glare at him, fighting to keep all cat related retorts I can think of inside.

"Ichigo," Urahara intervenes, "I have made a special kind of gigai for your Espada friend here."

More glares are exchanged. What friend? All this guy ever did is trying to kill me. Damnit! I curse myself for letting him live.

The tension is high.

"The gigai constantly drains his power to an acceptable level. For now, he doesn't experience any discomforts. But of course, would the need arise, I can always change the level if Ukitake-soutaichou agrees."

I nod. No way in hell he'll have the level changed. God no.

I notice that Renji hasn't said anything, while he's usually the first to comment on something. Instead, he's eyeballing Grimmjow very carefully. Maybe Urahara had him come over to keep the Arrancar quiet.

"Urahara-san..." I finally manage, "Can we talk somewhere in private?"

This is just too awkward. We're talking about him as if he's not in the room. Well, he might as well not be there then.

Renji reads my thoughts, I think, and he gives Grimmjow a firm nod. They leave to another room, more than enough space between them. Not without a hiss from Grimmjow though, who is obviously not pleased with me and Urahara discussing something that involves him.

"Urahara-san, you need my help in finding a place for him to stay?"

The old bastard just smiles at me. "I was hoping the Arrancar could stay with you, Ichigo-kun."

There it is. I knew it.

_I knew it._

"What?" That's all I manage to speak. I don't know what to feel. I don't know what to think.

"Well, with Isshin being in Soul Society most of the time and otherwise busy in the clinic, I figured you'd have a free spot at your place."

"What? My dad... He didn't _move_ to Soul Society. What do you expect me to do? Tell him his bedroom will be occupied by a freaking _Espada_?"

"The Shoten is not a good place for him, Ichigo. And technically, he's not an Espada anymore."

I glare. "You just called him Arrancar."

Urahara shrugs and opens his fan again. I want to pull it from his hands and stomp it on the ground.

"What's in a name, Ichigo-kun?" he smiles. "Anyway, the Shoten is not a good place for him. I don't have the time to teach him how to behave in the human world, so he can't get out, he gets bored, he gets frustrated. I get frustrated. It would be beneficial to all of us if he would stay with you, really."

"But-" I try, only to be cut off by Urahara again.

"Besides, you already know each other. And I'm sure you have space, Ichigo-kun. Loads of Shinigami used to stay at your place. Rukia lived there for a while, right?"

I can't believe he's comparing Grimmjow to Rukia.

"And," he quickly says, before I can speak, "It is your duty to keep him under control. Ukitake-soutaichou gave you responsibility for that. I think it would be easier for you if he were somewhere close, so you can keep an eye on him."

I sigh. I don't know what to say. Urahara can always convince me.

He's always so damn right about things.

This isn't about something personal between me and Grimmjow. This is about my duty as a Shinigami. About a decision I made, and which Soul Society holds me responsible for.

"He cannot get out of his gigai, Ichigo. If things would get out of hand, you can handle him easily. And besides, if he would form any threat to Soul Society, he will be executed. He knows that."

I so don't like what I'm about to say.

"Alright..." I nearly whisper. Urahara smiles widely. "But if I can't handle it anymore, promise me that you'll take him in again, even if it's just for an hour so I can cool off. I mean, do you even _know_ this guy? He's... difficult."

Urahara slaps me on the back. "You'll do fine, Ichigo! I'll inform Isshin." he exclaims. "Renji!"

A few seconds later Renji and Grimmjow are in the room again. I see the Arrancar looking at me.

"You're going with Ichigo, Grimmjow-san," Urahara says.

The look on his face is priceless.


	2. Of arrivals and mobile chargers

**_"Of arrivals and mobile chargers"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews. Is this worthy enough to be continued?  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

* * *

Before I realize it, I am walking home with Grimmjow Jaegerjaques next to me. He has his hands in his pockets and occasionally kicks at something on the ground. Hadn't expected any different behavior.

If I hadn't known him and I'd pass him on the street, I'd think he were a young delinquent. Angry at the world, hating everybody. If he keeps frowning like this, he'll have wrinkles in no time.

"You shouldn't have saved me, Kurosaki."

Great. Is there anyone out there who understands that I couldn't leave him there to rot? Is there anyone out there who is grateful for saving a damn life?

"I know," I answer coldly. I realize more than ever that I might have made a big mistake.

"Now I'm stuck in this place with no one left to kill."

"Yeah, welcome to the human world, Grimmjow, where we are able to control our urges."

He scoffs and kicks at something. "I'm not human," he says defensively.

"Sure look like one, though."

Grimmjow is this type of person who gets riled up _so_ easily, sometimes it's fun just to make snide remarks to watch him boil in anger. I'm not an evil person, really (I saved his damn life) but this is a small sin I take pleasure in.

"This gigai sucks! 's Not my fault I look like your damn kind! You shouldn't have fucking saved me in the first place..."

I suppress a smile. "We don't look alike at all."

"You know damn well what I mean!"

A short silence follows and I am grateful for it. I don't know how this is going to end up. I need time to think, to sort things out. Hell, what do I tell Karin and Yuzu? What will my dad think? How can Urahara seriously expect me to bring a freaking stranger home like it's no big deal? Or wait, worse than a stranger maybe; an enemy. This sucks.

"He removed my hole, man." Grimmjow mumbles suddenly.

That remark is so, _so_ weird. I decide not to think of it any deeper than necessary.

"Well, humans don't have hollow holes. Would creep them out if you went out with a hole in your body."

"And I couldn't keep my mask either. Che."

I sigh. "Humans only have bones _inside_ their bodies. Again, it would creep them out."

"Like I care what they think!" he yells.

God, this is going to be a pain, I can feel it. Now, more than ever, I realize that beings from the other side are so _oblivious_ to how we live, how we function. He's got a lot to learn. Scratch that, he's got _everything_ to learn.

For a moment, I consider explaining that it's not about what they _think_, but about goddamn anatomy. Instead, I drop it and quicken my pace.

I notice that Grimmjow only has a small plastic bag with belongings, which means he'll have to borrow loads of my stuff, _or_ that he'll have to do some shopping real soon. Wait, scratch that, _we_'ll have to do some shopping real soon.

"Did Urahara give you any money?" I ask. No way in hell he's using mine.

"I don't need money," he simply states.

"I can't let you borrow all my stuff. You'll have to buy your own things."

"I don't need stuff."

I roll my eyes.

This is a disaster. No wonder Urahara didn't want him.

When we arrive at my place, I see Grimmjow carefully eyeing the house. I take my key and show it to him. Might as well try to make the best of it and make him learn our ways as fast as possible, so he can get the hell out of my home.

"This is a key. If you put it in a lock it-"

"I know what a goddamn key is, Kurosaki!" he roars, "What do you think I am, retarded?"

There we go again. I see he's clenching his fists and conclude that he must be dying to punch me in the face.

Instead of trying to reason with him, I sigh, turn around and open the door. After this day – so far – where everything seems to go wrong, I am not surprised to see Karin standing in the hallway, ready to throw a load of questions at me.

"Who's he?" she asks, or rather demands.

Think fast. Say something. "He's a friend..." I say.

She glares at me.

"...from school-"

Grimmjow butts in. "Hell, we're not friends!"

He walks past me and suddenly he's inside my house. If anyone would've told me in the past that this would happen, Grimmjow... on my personal property, I would've declared them insane. Yet here we are.

"Ichigo?" Karin questions curiously. "Is he a friend of that Urahara guy?"

Relief!

"Yes! Yes, he is."

Before Grimmjow gets a chance to open his mouth, I shove my elbow in his side, indicating that we're going upstairs. Like right now.

"He'll be staying for a couple of days, Karin. Urahara's busy with stuff and all. Mind to set an extra plate?"

Yuzu pops out of nowhere, giving me her sweetest smile. "I'll set an extra plate, Ichigo!"

God, I love that kid. "Thanks, Yuzu."

Even the way Grimmjow climbs the stairs – with his bag swung over his shoulder - is tough, loud, defying, aggravating. When we get upstairs I point in the direction of my room. I hope the mess is bearable.

"I didn't know there would be kids, Kurosaki," he grunts while I open my door.

"They're my sisters. Deal with it. If you don't like my home, feel free to go somewhere else."

When we enter my room, Grimmjow gazes around. He goes to my desk, to my closet, to my nightstand, and carefully looks at all the stuff I have.

"You have so many... things," he says, seemingly in awe of this new environment.

"Oh, believe me, Urahara has way more stuff than I do. He just stores a lot of things in boxes and all."

His careful behavior makes me smile a little. It must be so weird for him, indeed. It must be like coming from another planet and suddenly being thrown into this world. I'd go crazy, I think. Of course, Grimmjow has been in the human world before, but as I see him now, I don't think he's ever seen a house on the inside. He seems genuinely intrigued.

"What's this?" he asks, or rather demands (I think he'll get along well with Karin).

Out of all things, he's holding a mobile charger.

"It's, uh, a mobile charger."

"Okay," he replies casually. For a moment I think he knows what a charger is for. The awkward way he's putting it back though, tells me he has no fucking clue what this thing is. He goes on peering at my belongings.

For now, he's behaving, so I sit down at my desk and open my laptop. Apparently, it was in hibernation mode, so when it clicks open it produces a cheerful tune. It doesn't take Grimmjow a second to have his head turned, eyes wide, as if ready for danger.

"Laptop," I point out.

He relaxes again. "Yeah, I know that. Ichimaru had one of those."

Interesting. Laptops in Hueco Mundo.

"Do you sleep a lot?" he asks out of the blue.

I'm a bit at loss for words. Sounds like an odd question to me.

"Well, uh, I guess. When I have school I have to get up early, so on week days not much, actually. But during the weekend I sleep late, yeah..."

"How long?" he asks.

I spin my chair to face him and lean backwards.

"Why are you asking?" I'm curious, can't help it.

"The guy with the clogs told me humans sleep like eight hours a day or something? But he was always awake."

I smirk. "Urahara's a weird guy. He's not a good reference if you're trying to adapt to your gigai."

"Oh."

"But yeah, eight hours is good. It depends who you are, I guess."

"He told me I have to adapt to a normal sleeping pattern," he says, seriously.

"Why?"

"When I was still... you know, in my real body, I slept every week or so. This body's worth shit. Can't even last a freaking day."

Must be weird indeed. But I don't understand why he would mind.

"Oh, come on, sleeping is awesome. When I wake up in the morning, I wish I could stay in my bed forever."

He raises an eyebrow.

"So," he starts, "that's your bed?"

"Yeah."

"Where do I sleep?"

Good question. He'll have to sleep on a spare mattress either way, but where do I put him? Wait. It's my responsibility to keep him from going on a rampage. I realize what this implies. He's gonna sleep in my room, on my floor, like it's a damn sleepover.

"You'll sleep here too. On a mattress, of course. I guess you could just go to sleep and wake up when I do, if you want to develop a sleeping pattern."

Grimmjow raises an eyebrow at me in suspicion. Then he laughs. Loudly. Because apparently, everything he does is loud.

"Don't think you can control me just because we're in the same room, Shinigami!"

There he goes again. Suddenly he's all hostility and pride again, just like the last time we fought.

"Well, to be honest, I don't intend to babysit you, Grimmjow. If you want to take off or raise hell, please do. Soul Society will have you executed in no time."

"Che..."

"Seriously, at least try to behave," I say. I'm not joking.

This is a huge thing for me as well. I have school work, I have to do surveillance over Karakura for Soul Society. I don't want him to get in the way and mess things up. We might have been opponents in battle back then during the war, but I'm fed up with that. I don't have the time nor energy for that right now.

"I hope you understand that this sucks for me as well," I add. "I'm busy enough as it is."

"I didn't want this either, Shinigami!" he roars. "I didn't need your pity back there!"

"I don't pity you." Honestly, I don't.

"I would've been fine without your help!" He puts his hands in his pockets and keeps his head raised.

Then I remember how pitiful he did seem at the time, barely breathing, bleeding from the wounds I'd inflicted.

"You weren't looking fine, to be honest," I say quietly, speaking to myself more than speaking to him.

"Then at least you could've left me there to die."

"Oh, come on, the human world isn't so bad. Just try to give it a chance, will you."

He scoffs and pokes the side of my bed with his foot.

"Hey!"

He glares at me. "What?"

"If you want to kick stuff buy your own," I say while I turn around again to face my laptop. There's some school work I've got to take care of.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"I have to finish some things for school. Just... sit somewhere if you want."

Without hesitation, he promptly sits down on my bed.

I don't know how I'm gonna be able to focus with Grimmjow sitting on my bed. Especially when he's watching me all the time.

I open a drawer of my desk, and I feel his curious gaze on me. I pull out some magazines and toss them on the side of the bed.

"Here."

He carefully takes one of them and looks at it. "What's this?"

"Magazines," I say, "You can look in them, if you want. It'll keep you busy while I finish my work."

Five minutes later, I'm surprised I've been able to at least open some books without disturbance. For now, I have to say that Grimmjow is behaving pretty well. Better than I'd thought, at least.

I try not to smile too obviously when I see him glaring at a magazine. I decide not to point out that he's holding it upside down.

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!_


	3. Of confrontations and special foods

**_"Of confrontations and special foods"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!  
Thank you __Cynoyonrae__ for the helpful review!_

* * *

Now that I'm in my bed, I can affirm with certainty that this was a very awkward day.

I feel drained of energy. Like I've been babysitting a kid for a whole day. A very disobedient, loud kid that is never pleased.  
Dinner was... quite the experience. While Grimmjow didn't seem too fond of traditional food, he told me he loves hotdogs, pizza and burgers. Thanks Urahara, for serving him the most healthy foods available. I told him we would go to town and get some fastfood when things have settled down. The mere thought of it makes me nervous already. I must admit that either Urahara did a good job of teaching him table manners, or either Aizen did. I doubt that though, since Grimmjow used to eat nothing but souls.

Right now, I realize that it does feel like a sleepover, as I'm watching Grimmjow trying to get comfortable under his covers. I'm in my pj's, he's in his pj's – or rather, a pair of sweatpants I gave him – and I'm about to turn of the lamp on my bedside table.

I have to admit that although I'm not entirely convinced yet that Grimmjow won't strangle me in my sleep, I've grown a bit used to his presence already. I guess it's of no use to keep fighting this situation. It's obviously a pain for me as well as for him. So we're both stuck in this, and there won't be a reasonable way out unless we both try to make something of it. That's just my two cents, of course. For all I know Grimmjow is now plotting my demise. But I highly doubt it. We haven't fought yet, and for a first day, I think I can say that's an achievement.

I think he's finally settled in his makeshift bed. I turn off the lamp and get comfortable myself.

And suddenly the atmosphere is all weird again. I know we're both awake, probably both staring at the ceiling, but we don't speak. Every couple of minutes a car passes by and the headlights create a glow against my closet. With my former enemy being so physically close – I can hear his breathing – it's hard not to reminiscence.

"You wanna know why I got you out of there?"

I hear he turns his head towards me by the ruffling of the sheets and pillow.

"The fight we had was different from the others I had in Hueco Mundo. Like the fight with Nnoitra, Ulquiorra... I guess... I considered you... a worthy opponent," I say, though a bit hesitant.

More ruffling of the sheets. I think I've got his full attention now.

"_Considered_..." he repeats, "So you don't consider me that anymore now?"

I let out a weak laugh. "We're not opponents anymore, Grimmjow."

He doesn't say anything. And after about twenty minutes, I realize he's not gonna say anything anymore.

"Night, Grimmjow."

A short, powerful silence follows, and I wonder if I said something wrong when for a moment I think he's ignoring me.

"Night, Kurosaki."

We're still okay.

* * *

My alarm clock goes off way too soon. Still half sleeping, I wonder if it's a dream – or a terrible nightmare – when I turn on the light and glance sideways to find _Grimmjow_ still asleep on the ground next to my bed. My heart jumps in my chest and if I'd been more awake, I might've gasped in shock. Then everything sinks in again. Oh yeah. Grimmjow is my new roommate now, how could I forget something so trivial. I would've smiled if it wouldn't have been so damn weird.

I blink a couple of times to get the sleepy haze out and look at him again. He's underneath a bunch of crumpled sheets, his mouth is wide open – I can see his fangs - and he's... making a weird noise. It sounds like... purring? I take it he's content? Oh God, remind me not to mention this when he's awake. I think he might start a killing spree like back in the old days. Yes, Grimmjow is very sensitive about his cat like nature. Even though it's obviously there, he denies everything.

Carefully – this is a person you would not like to step on - I find my way to the end of my bed and get out of it. I guess I'll try not to wake him up while I get ready for school. Still sleepy, I search my closet for clothes and get dressed.

School, ugh. I honestly don't feel like going. It means I'll see my friends there, including the ones who joined me in the war, and thus I'll have to tell them about my... situation. I'm still annoyed with the quiet treatment Renji was giving me at the Shoten.

Orihime and the rest know about me getting Grimmjow out of Hueco Mundo of course, they were there, but I guess they thought he'd be sentenced in Soul Society – I did too. The mere thought of my friends being pissed at me makes me feel guilty already. I mean, I'm not a traitor, right? I hope they'll understand that this is something I can't get away from, since Soul Society holds me responsible for Grimmjow.

As much as I don't feel like going, unfortunately I can't afford to miss more school. And so it happens that I find myself entering the building after a short walk. I can't help but feel like I did something wrong when I spot Orihime, Uryu and Chad. A sinking feeling sets in. Orihime waves. and I know I can't get out of this one. Might as well get it over with.

"Hey guys," I greet them. I feel the smile on my face isn't as big as I want it to be.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

I join their group and try to get comfortable, putting my hands in my pockets. I tend to fidget sometimes when I'm nervous.

"You look tired," Uryu remarks.

I cast my friends a small smile and scratch the back of my head. "Yeah, well, I didn't sleep too much last night..."

"Well, try not to fall asleep in class," the Quincy smirks. "Come on guys, we should go to class."

They take off and I find myself walking behind them. It's difficult to bring something up this big, you know? It's not like I can casually say 'Oh hey, by the way, Grimmjow lives at my place now.'

"Kurosaki-kun... are you alright?"

Orihime. That girl sees everything. It's extraordinary, really, how she can read a person.

"Yeah, I'm fine... It's just... I've had some business with Urahara yesterday, and I'm not sure how to feel about it." I'm not lying, am I? Doing good, so far.

"What happened?" she asks quietly, as if not sure if she should ask or not. Such a sweet person, she is.

I don't think Uryu and Chad can hear us, walking silently in front of us. The hall is crowded with students. When classes are about to start, chaos ensues and people crawl around in all directions.

"I..."

I can't get it over my lips... Not right before class. I know how she is. She'll be upset. But out of all people, I think Orihime might understand. She was there too. Hell, she was kept at Las Noches. She met all the Espada, saw them living around there. It was her who healed Grimmjow's arm, and later a lot more of his injuries. In fact, it was me who told her to do it.

Maybe she'll understand.

"I- I...Orihime... Would you mind coming to my place to talk after school? There's something I need to show you."

She looks at me with compassionate eyes and smiles warmly. "Of course!"

After school I wait for Orihime outside the classroom. She comes out cheerfully talking with her friends, clutching her school books against her chest with her arms. Tatsuki waves her a last 'See you tomorrow' before going off in the opposite direction.

"Kurosaki-kun."

"Thanks for coming along, Inoue."

We walk towards the school exit while other students pass us by. Suddenly the sinking feeling in my gut is back with a vengeance. Not only do I feel bad about what I'm about to get her involved with, but also for not having told Uryu and Chad today. They have the right to know too. Heck, I won't be able to keep Grimmjow inside forever, not with his temperamental nature. They're gonna face each other sooner or later. But I should give them a warning, at least.

I sigh.

"Kurosaki... There's nothing wrong in Soul Society, is there?" she asks, a bit hesitantly. Her eyes are suddenly filled with worry.

"No, Soul Society is doing fine, really," I gesture.

A look of relief washes the worries away from her face. "That's good. How are Renji? And Rukia?"

Somehow I'm not sure what to say. I haven't talked to Rukia in a while to be honest. She's been busy at Soul Society, organizing and rebuilding everything that was destroyed in the war. I hear Ukitake-soutaichou has plans to have her promoted to fukutaichou. And if anyone deserves to be a lieutenant, it's her, really. She'd do an awesome job. But Byakuya's not very pleased about it.

"Rukia's fine. I hear Ukitake would like her to be fukutaichou! But her brother disapproves, of course," I say, smirking.

"That's wonderful news!"

"Yeah. Renji's fine too, I guess. I saw him at the Shoten yesterday."

While we walk to my place, we continue to chat about Soul Society and our shinigami friends. While it seems to be getting colder outside – winter's now too far away anymore - the walk does me good and I enjoy talking with my friend again.

Before we know it, we're in front of my house and my heart does a double take. My fingers shake when I take my keys and open the lock, after the third attempt to jam the key in, that is.

"Are you alright, Kurosaki-kun?"

"I'm fine, really. Let's go upstairs," I say. I'm so nervous I just want to get this over with.

"Alright."

When I reach for the door handle of my room, I cast Orihime a last gaze. "Don't be frightened..." I say quietly. She must be thinking I'm keeping a horrible monster in my room by now, or that I'm going completely insane. She throws me a comforting smile and nods.

The sight I stumble upon when I open the door to my room is unbelievable.

My room is _littered_ with all kinds of things. In a single glance I spot a few empty bags of chips, an empty box of cookies, an empty jar of Frankfurter sausages – what in the hell – and about ten cans of coke _spread_ all over the floor.

"What the hell?" I murmur quietly to myself.

In the center of the rampage is Grimmjow, sitting legs crossed on his futon. He doesn't even look up when I enter the room, and continues to stuff a cookie in his mouth unbothered. In his other hand is a can of coke, and on his legs there's a magazine which he's apparently inspecting very carefully.

"Hey!" I shout. I'm trying to accentuate my anger here, but apparently Grimmjow takes it as a friendly hello. With that, his gazes travels to my face lazily.

"Oh, hey, Shinigami," he says roughly. And without further ado, he continues to stare in the magazine. Since when do I have car magazines anyway? What the hell is he thinking, making a garbage dump of my room? _My room. Mine!_

On top of all things, Orihime is still standing behind me.

"Kurosaki-kun?" I hear her high voice behind me. My reaction of shock and disapproval didn't go passed her unnoticed. I guess there's no other option than to show her what the _hell_ I've done to myself.

"Orihime..." I say, with a very small voice.

I open the door and stand aside so she can look inside. The look on her face is pure shock. She gasps and holds her hands close to her chest. Instinctively she takes a step back.

"Ichigo..." she speaks, breathlessly, "That is..."

I slowly reach out for her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She flinches a bit and I tighten my grip a little. "Don't worry, Orihime..."

"Hey, woman!" Grimmjow's looking up from his activities, still holding a half eaten cookie in his hand. His grin is wide and feral. "Ha! Long time no see."

He seems... amused. And Orihime seems to be totally lost. Her questioning gaze moves back and forth to me and Grimmjow. "Kurosaki-kun?"

"It's safe, Inoue. Don't worry..."

Grimmjow's still looking at us, smiling sheepishly. "Didn't expect to see me again, did you, woman? Ha!"

Apparently, Grimmjow still enjoys to play with people.

"Grimmjow," I say firlmy, "Be nice."

I kind of put my arm around Orihime's shoulders to make her feel safe. But suddenly she lunges forward and I can't believe what I'm hearing anymore.

"Grimmjow-san! You have healed from your wounds!" she exclaims enthusiastically.

"Yeah," the former Espada says proudly, "and I'm in a _gigai_ now, see?" he gestures after he closes the magazine and shoves it aside.

Orihime puts her hands together again and closes the distance between her and Grimmjow even more. I'm still standing right here, dumbfounded. Could it be that she's happy to see him?

"Oh, I see, I see! I thought you would've been punished in Soul Society!"

Grimmjow smirks and points his thumb at himself. "Ha! Don't think so."

Orihime turns and looks at me. Her expression isn't worried or scared, at all. "Kurosaki! Is Grimmjow living with your family now?" she asks excited.

I try to smile a little. Don't want to ruin her happy moment, you know?

"I guess so... Ukitake want me to be responsible for him. So I had no choice. Urahara wants me to get him adjusted to living a human life, so hopefully he can live on his own someday…"  
The last part of what I say completely disappears because of Orihime's enthusiastic gasp.

"I see!" she claps her hands together. "I can help! I did lots of stuff with Matsumoto-san when she was at my place. It's weird for them to be in the human world for the first time! So I think it's the same for Grimmjow-san because- Oh, I can make special foods! If he wants special foods he can-"

"It's okay, Inoue. We'll manage!" I quickly interrupt her. Don't want Grimmjow to die of food poisoning just yet. It would make me seem like a horrible caretaker.

But Grimmjow's not agreeing with me on that one. "Shut up, Kurosaki! I want the special foods."

Orihime claps her hands again and turns towards Grimmjow. "That's great! I love to cook. When Matsumoto-san was staying with me I..."

At that moment, I stop listening to what Orihime is saying, or rather spewing at Grimmjow. The look on his face and the frown of his eyebrows speaks that he's having trouble following her trail of information as well. My mind wanders off, thinking that maybe, things are not so bad as I thought they'd be. 

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
_


	4. Of a missing gigai

**"_Of a missing gigai"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

* * *

This is my fourth day with Grimmjow. Today is Saturday. Finally, it's weekend.

Usually I feel relaxed on Friday evening, when I've had dinner and I sit on the couch in the living room to watch TV. As for today, I'm not feeling relaxed, at all. I feel haunted, because there are a million things going through my head right now. I'm trying my best to shove my worries to the back of my mind but they keep crawling forward every time I look next to me to see my former enemy sitting there. Sitting, no. _Lounging_. Grimmjow doesn't sit, he lounges. That's only one of the things I've come to learn about him during the past few days.

He's really noisy at night too. The first night I've slept through it all, but I had some things on my mind later on – like Orihime still wanting to cook for 'my new friend' – and I couldn't close my eyes on the second night. Not only does he purr, but every few minutes he rolls around in his sheets violently. In the morning, he wakes up bundled up or stuck in his blankets. One time, I heard him say 'fuck' in his sleep. I guess he's angry on a subconscious level too. He's got some issues, if you ask me.

Another thing I learned is that he loves television, particularly action movies and the discovery channel. The bad thing about it is that his presence makes _me_ love television less. I tend to avoid it, even. He's one of those people who will comment on _everything_ that happens in the movie, _all_ the time, and he'll laugh loudly, he'll curse when the plot doesn't go as he wishes and when he's bored, he'll switch channels the whole damn time.

Like he's doing now, actually. I'm not really paying attention, though, and _believe_ me, I've created a huge patience span during the last four days. I used to point out constantly when he was annoying me, till I discovered that has the exact opposite effect. The bastard loves to annoy the living hell out of me.

"Kurosaki!" he growls, leaning back with his arms crossed under his head. "I'm bored."

He gets bored easily, as Urahara said. And he tends to get more unpleasant when bored. He's like a kid, really, got to keep him busy the whole time.

"Find something to do then," I tell him.

"There's nothing fun to do. This place sucks!"

I sigh quietly. "Look, I'm perfectly happy sitting on my ass, okay. I've been to school the whole week, so give me a break. Entertain yourself."

He fidgets and loudly puts his feet on the small table in front of the couch. For a second, I'm tempted to say something about it, but my dad doesn't care much about his furniture anyway and I'm feeling particularly ignorant.

"I want out."

Now he's got my attention. I remember promising him to go out to eat burgers one day, when things have settled down and he won't be completely socially ignorant anymore. We're not near that moment. Not yet. Not by far yet.

"Not yet, Grimmjow," I say lazily. I grab the remote from his hand, and he shortly glares at my hand. I switch the channel back and put the remote far away on my right side, where he can't reach it.

"I want out!" he repeats, louder and more demanding this time. "I want to get the fuck out!"

Suddenly he's on his feet, glaring daggers at me. He's standing next to the couch, arms next to his body with clenched fists. "I'm serious, Kurosaki. I want to get out of this place, this night, and I'm gonna do it, whether you like it or not."

"Fine, go out then. I'm sure you know your way to some nice bars around here," I say casually. He raises an eyebrow at me. "Oh wait, you don't. You lived in a desert your whole life. I forgot, my bad."

He points a threatening finger at me. "Watch me, Shinigami!" he yells angrily.

It's hard not to laugh out loud. I can already imagine him getting out of the house, walking off in some random direction only to find nothing fun in particular.

"Please, act your age," I tease.

His finger is nearly in my face again and his face is flustered with frustration.

"You're so boring it pisses me off! It's Friday night! No one stays home on Friday night, Kurosaki."

I frown. Where did he get that from?

"Who told you that?" I ask, honestly curious. I can't imagine Hueco Mundo had weekly club nights on Friday.

"Urahara!" he roars.

I can't help myself and laugh out loud. Urahara going out in the weekend? I'm not sure if I want to know where he goes. Grimmjow's glare gets even angrier. I can tell he doesn't know what the hell I'm laughing about.

"Look, Urahara's a weird guy, you know that," I say, trying to suppress the smile on my face.

"So? At least he's not as _boring_ as you. Anyway, I'm going."

And he just goes off. I can't believe it. He makes it to the front door stomping on the ground before I can even get up from the couch. When I reach the hallway, the door's already slammed shut. Grimmjow seriously needs to learn how to subdue that temper of his. Maybe I should suggest some anger management classes, just for the fun of it.

For a moment I ponder what I should do. My conscience tells me to go after him, but the sane part of me warns me he'll think he can do everything he pleases because I'll go after him anyway. Taking my responsibility or being stepped on by Grimmjow? Hmm, tough choice. Not really. I decide to remain seated on the couch for a while. He'll show up sooner or later anyway. I mean, how far could he go?

About half an hour later I'm still sitting on my ass. The TV is still on but I've given up on switching channels because everything seems equally crappy. I ask myself the same question again 'How far could he go?'. By now, my conscience tells me that in fact, he could go quite far.

About an hour later, I've given up on the TV and have gone to my room. I'm browsing some internet, checking my social networking sites, etc. I can't seem to enjoy it, though. Grimmjow's absence is starting to bother me. 'How far could he go?' I ask myself again. The answer is even less optimistic this time. As time goes by, more and worse doom scenarios push themselves forward in my mind. What if he decided to take off for good? Where will he end up? What if he gets lost? What if he doesn't realize he can't cross a street when the light is red and gets run over by a truck? He may be a nuisance sometimes – well... a lot of times – but I'd feel like a horrible person. Save a person's life just to get him killed. Not good.

About ten minutes later, I'm telling Yuzu and Karin I'm going for a walk. I don't think they know about Grimmjow taking off. Or maybe they do, but they don't mention it.

When I shut the door behind me, I feel a pang of guilt settling in my gut. I know Grimmjow took off on his own accord, but at the same time I know he has _no idea_ about the world outside my home. He might _think_ he knows what he's doing, but he doesn't.

First thing I do is checking out the soccer field nearby. I figure he might have gone there to cool off.

But sadly, I don't find him there. I don't find him anywhere around the soccer field either. And not around the area around the soccer field either. And not in the area around that area.

I think I've been looking around for about forty minutes when I feel my cell phone vibrate in my back pocket. I'm already feeling nervous – looking for a missing person is not a relaxing activity – but when I feel my phone my heart takes a leap.

"Hello?" I say, and I realize I'm panting a bit.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Ah, it's Orihime. I'm glad to hear her.

"I'm just calling to say that... if you're looking for Grimmjow... he's at my home."

Relief washes over me before I can think of why the hell he'd be there and how the hell he could've found the way to her home.

"What? He's there? I'm coming over," I say quickly and disconnect the call. I quicken my pace and curse under my breath. "Grimmjow, you bastard..."

Eventually I arrive at Inoue's home. I'm a little out of breath. Haven't had much exercise since the end of the war. A couple of Hollows now and then, but nothing that acquires me to push my limits.

When I get there, Orihime's already at the door, smiling warmly at me. I don't see Grimmjow though.

"Inoue!" I call, "Where is he?"

"In the kitchen..."

I have to admit that I'm not even _trying_ to control my anger when I storm into Inoue's kitchen. Grimmjow's there, sitting at the table casually, with some stuff in front of him. And you know what? The first thing he does is smile at me. That menacing, feral smirk he always smiles. Damn Espada.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I yell at him. Without even thinking, I shove his chair sideways with my foot and grab him by the collar. The fact that his smile disappears like snow from the sun means he wasn't expecting my reaction.

"Is it so very, very hard to get that I'm trying to make an effort here? That I'm giving up a part of my damn _life_! All you've done since you've come here is go against everything I say or do! And I'm stupid enough to keep you here! I could send you to Soul Society anytime I'd want!"

When I end my rant, the room falls silent. Grimmjow grabs my wrists and shoves my hands away from his collar. Orihime stands aside all this. Her face looks worried and scared.

"Relax, Shinigami..." Grimmjow grunts and crosses his arms in front of him.

"No, nothing 'relax'! Do you have any idea what would happen to you if I told Ukitake-soutaichou that you tried to run off like this?"

"Che. I didn't run off."

Orihime takes a step forward and looks at her feet. "Grimmjow just went to my home. Kurosaki-kun..."

Apparently my face speaks of confusion because Grimmjow feels the need to explain himself.

"Do you think I don't know anything around here? Never thought about the fact that Espada used to come here all the time for missions? Che!"

Wait.

"So you're telling me you just went out to go to my friend?" I ask.

"Yeah. She's the only one I know besides you, and I figured Urahara must be out on Friday night. So I came here. What's the big deal?"

Ugh. The way he's sitting there, relaxed and casual, makes it seem like there's no big deal indeed. I feel like an overprotective mother.

"Why didn't you just tell me then?" I demand. This is ridiculous. What gives him the right to bother a friend of mine anyway?

"It's funny when you're mad," he says. "And... I kind of decided that I'd come here when I was already out."

I sigh deeply. "Orihime... I'm so sorry for the trouble..." I say quietly.

"It's no trouble, Kurosaki-kun! Look, I was showing Grimmjow-san all these objects that we have!" she shrieks enthusiastically.

I glance over at the kitchen table... and indeed, I see a bunch of random things lying on a heap in front of my good friend Grimmjow. I see a pair of scissors, a vial of perfume, mascara, sunglasses, a credit card, an action figure from who knows what anime, a pack of chewing gum, a roll of duct tape, a pack of post it notes, lipstick, a portable radio and a neon pink calculator. Quite a collection. There are some objects I fail to relate to Grimmjow, though.

"Grimmjow-san's been very nice to me, Kurosaki-kun..."

"Alright," I admit calmly, "I think this is cool."

I turn my head towards Grimmjow and force some temper in my voice again. "But this is your last chance. And we're gonna get you a goddamn cell phone, so I can track you down!"

Grimmjow smiles widely at this. "Sweet. I've always wanted one of those."

"We're going now, Orihime... Sorry for barging into your house like this. It won't happen again, I promise."

She shakes her head firmly. "Nonsense! You two can come over whenever you want."

"Thanks, Inoue."

I gesture to Grimmjow that we're leaving, and surprisingly enough, he stands up without questions or angry glares.

"See you later, woman," he says casually, giving her a small nod.

"Wait! Kurosaki, Grimmjow..." she starts. She's got mine and Grimmjow's full attention instantly. "I'm going out with Chado, Uryu... and Renji and Rukia tomorrow night... and I was thinking... maybe you should come? Kurosaki-kun? So it won't be weird anymore?" she asks, hesitating... fidgeting with her hair.

I don't say anything. To be honest... I have no idea what to say. I'm not gonna be able to hide this from everyone forever, I know that. Urahara's not someone who will shut up about this because of me and Grimmjow is hard enough to ignore as he is.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

She and Grimmjow are both staring at me, waiting for a reaction.

Oh, fuck it. If my friends are gonna lynch me for this they might as well do it all together.

"Alright..." I say, looking Grimmjow straight in the eye. "We're going out tomorrow."

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!_


	5. Of former enemies and Long Islands

**"_Of former enemies and Long Islands"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

* * *

"What do you mean I can't wear this?" Grimmjow asks flamboyantly, throwing his arms in the air, "Why not?"

"Because you're wearing sweatpants and the same hoodie you've been wearing everyday since you got here. And we're going out, which means you should wear something nice," I explain.

"Che. This is a nice hoodie!"

"Hey, you shouldn't be complaining. I'm giving you full access to my stash of clothes."

"I'm not complaining!" Grimmjow huffs and sits down on my bed, rubbing his forehead. "I just don't get what's not nice about my hoodie."

I sigh and lean further into my desk chair. I lazily spin around.

"Grimmjow, drop the subject. Just take it off and put it in the laundry."

"Alright, alright. Asshole..."

He gets up and drags his feet on the ground when he goes to the bathroom where the laundry basket is. I hear him mutter things on the way, but don't pay attention to it. I'm used to his ways of communicating now. When he means 'you're being annoying', he says you're 'a fucking asshole'. When he means 'sorry', he says 'fuck you'. It's not too hard getting to know his ways, I must say. And once you're used to his ranting and cursing, it's not too difficult to ignore. He's a lot like a child; he's got this aura around him that tells you he can't really be blamed for his actions.

We're supposed to meet Orihime at her house around eight, to go to the bar together and join the rest. It's now seven pm and I have this hunch we're going to be late. I still want to shower, and if I will Grimmjow will see it as something you just _do_ before going out, so he'll want to shower too. That's another thing about him; if I do something, he needs to do it twice; if I have something, he must have two. _Everything is a competition_. If Grimmjow were a sports drink, _that_ would be his selling line.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Yesterday I tried to make him take out the trash, but I failed miserably. I sat down next to him and said 'Wanna bet I can take the trash outside in one minute?' I'd hoped he'd jump up and yell 'Bet I can do it in thirty seconds?' but instead he looked at me in a disapproving manner and called me a retard.

When Grimmjow enters my room again I stand up from my chair.

"I'm gonna take a shower. In the meantime, take a look in my closet and pick what you like."

"I wish I still had my Espada uniform..." he mumbles, looking at his feet and kicking at something.

"No, you don't. You'd be almost naked."

Suddenly he's pointing a finger in my face. I nearly drop the towel I just took from a drawer.

"Don't tell me you don't like naked, Kurosaki!"

Grimmjow says weird things sometimes. It's not all that odd since he misses most of our social rules and ways – considering where he comes from - but it's disturbing sometimes.

"Just stop talking. Please. I can't handle this right now," I say, rubbing my forehead.

We've had a conversation about things like this. It was the second day he was here I think... Anyway, Grimmjow went downstairs and apparently Yuzu was there too. She asked what he was doing, and he simply said he was gonna take a shit. Poor girl didn't say anything about it to him, but she told me and I thought he needed some information about what's appropriate to say and what's not. Grimmjow didn't really understand and called me a fag, but he was gonna do his best to adjust.

Anyway, I think Grimmjow gets that I don't want to discuss my thoughts on nakedness. He shrugs and goes to my closet to peek inside. I take off to the bathroom. A warm shower will do me good.

When I'm standing under the water, running my hands through my hair, queasiness settles in my chest. Orihime wasn't going to tell the rest of our friends about Grimmjow, she said. So this means I'm just gonna walk in with him by my side. I don't even want to imagine the look on their faces. But on the other hand, Orihime took it freakishly well so maybe it won't be as bad as I think it will.

Renji already knows of course, and for all I know he told Rukia and the rest of Soul Society. I doubt he did, though. Knowing Renji, he'd want me to tell them myself. What he thinks about all this? I don't have a clue. There was some sort of tension between us when we were at the Shoten and we haven't talked anymore afterwards.

I finish showering quickly, although I long to stand under the warm water forever. When I get back to the bathroom, Grimmjow's sitting on my desk chair next to my bed, where he has a pile of clothes spread out. My closet looks like a warzone. I guess I should've told him not to pull everything out to stuff it back without folding.

"You're supposed to _fold_ them before putting them back," I say, frustrated.

He grins at me and shrugs. "Don't know how to do that."

I sigh. "So you like these?" I say, pointing to the stack of clothes on the bed. He nods.

I get over to the bed, still only wearing a towel. Nothing weird about that, I must mention. It's inevitable when you live together with someone. And he's a guy too, so it doesn't matter anyway. It's not like Grimmjow is someone who feels ashamed about things.

"Take these," I say and pick up a pair of grey jeans.

"And this."

Grey jeans and a pinstripe shirt. It's not too flashy. I don't think Grimmjow needs flashy. His blue hair stands out enough to make any outfit look colorful. Apparently he agrees with me, as he takes the clothes and goes off to the bathroom.

"Don't take too long. I don't want to be late at Orihime's."

A short while later, we're all set.

Honestly? We're looking good. I'm wearing a pair of blue jeans and a shirt in a rust like color. Matches my hair. Grimmjow looks... almost human in my clothes. Surprisingly enough, we're standing in the hallway around eight. Orihime doesn't live far away, so we'll make it without being terribly late.

"Ready?" I ask. I just said bye to my sisters and told them we'd be out late so they don't have to wait for me to go to bed.

"Yeah," Grimmjow mutters. On the way out, I notice he glances at his reflection in the hallway mirror and I smile.

"Don't worry, you look fine," I say, a small smile on my lips. I guess maybe he's feeling nervous too. After all, he's gonna meet new people, and all of them happen to hate his guts.

"Are you gonna say gay things to me this whole night?"

Asshole.

"I just said something nice. You're supposed to say 'thank you'. At least try to be nice to my friends, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

We start walking towards Inoue's house. I wonder when people pass us by, if they would ever be able to imagine the history us two individuals have shared. If they ever wonder if there is a truth beyond what they can see with their eyes. I know, when I feel bad about something I tend to get philosophical.

"Hey, when are we getting my cell phone, Kurosaki?"

I snap out of my trail of thoughts.

"Next week, I guess. Tomorrow's Sunday, the stores will be closed."

"Monday!"

Patience is not his best virtue.

"Alright, alright. We'll go after school."

A few minutes later we're at Orihime's house. She's already waiting outside. I apologize for being a bit late, but she understands.

"Grimmjow-san! Are you nervous?" she shrieks.

Grimmjow furrows his eyebrows. "Course not, woman."

I am, though. If there's one thing I hate, it's to disappoint people. With all my heart, I wish my friends will accept that I'll be stuck with Grimmjow for quite a while. During the War, I think they all learned to know somehow that I got the blue haired Espada out of there, but we never talked about it. Everything was chaos. There was no time to think about things too deeply, it was only fighting and struggling. There was no time to wonder if we made the right decisions, to mourn the losses, let alone to catch up with each other.

And still, even now I don't know if I always made the right decisions. After the fight with Nnoitra, when we stumbled upon a dying Grimmjow, it had felt like the right thing to spare his life. Now still, I don't believe he deserved to die just like that.

My thoughts have wandered again and now I have no idea what my companions are talking about anymore. I feel grateful that at least one person seems to be able to get along with Grimmjow. I'm not even sure if I can. Do we get along? We're not friends, are we?

"Are we there yet?"

I nod. "It's just around the corner."

Grimmjow puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "So, what are we gonna do there anyway?"

It's Orihime who answers him. "Oh, you've never been to a bar before!" she shrieks. I see a look of disdain on Grimmjow's face. Bless Orihime's mind that tends to ignore details like that.

"It's fun! We can sit there all night, have drinks and talk..." Her eyes are sparkling. It's hard not to feel content myself when I see her all excited like this.

"Sounds boring," Grimmjow huffs at her.

For a second, I feel the need to butt in and tell him to shut up, but Orihime can handle him just fine.

"You shouldn't judge because you've never done it before. Just wait and see!"

And then we're there. It's a place called 'Cloud Nine'. My and my friends from school often go there. It's a nice place, modern but not too fancy either, and not too expensive even though they serve cocktails. The sign reads 'Cloud Nine' in red glowing letters.

"Orihime."

"Kurosaki-kun?" she asks. The look on my face is dead serious.

"I want to have a word with Grimmjow first. Please go on in already. We'll be there in a minute," I explain.

I turn towards Grimmjow and wait till Inoue's far away enough.

"I'm only gonna say this once, Grimmjow. I don't want you to be an asshole in there. No matter what happened in the past, I'm sure my friends will give you a chance. Just do the same for them, okay?"

He shrugs and looks at his feet. "Sure. I can be nice. When people are nice to me."

"Just... _try_, okay?"

I'm practically on my knees here. The last thing I want is to be blamed for protecting this guy, _by my friends_, while he's being a complete asshole. It would make me feel like an idiot.

Grimmjow nods.

"Alright," I say, gesturing to go inside.

I push open the glass doors and we go inside. In the corner, at the round table, I see Orihime waving to me. I see Renji's there – his hair stands out everywhere – and I spot Rukia. Chad and Uryu are there too.

_Here we go._

The twenty steps towards their table seem to take forever.

"Hey guys..." I say. My voice comes out a bit shaky. No wonder, I think my blood pressure is going through the roof.

Each one of them turns their head eventually. The thing is, they're not really looking at me. Instantly, the blue haired ex-Espada – standing there with his hands in his pockets like nothing's weird – is the center of attention. Renji casts him a quick, severe glance but looks away again.

From the look on her face, Rukia had not been told by Renji yet. Her mouth is slightly open and I think the glass she's holding is about to slip from her grip. "Ichigo..."

Chad doesn't really react. If at all. He's there, staring too, but instead of looking at Grimmjow, his eyes quickly turn towards me. The look on his face is that of worry, and I hear him wonder what I have brought upon myself.

I'm not surprised to see Uryu staring at Grimmjow either. His gaze is different, though. It's not shock that marks his face, but he's glaring at this former enemy with his head high. I can't imagine my Quincy friend wouldn't be surprised at all, he's just good at keeping his composure in situations like this.

"What?"

It's Grimmjow. He can't take all the looks. Can't blame him, though. If any longer, I think complete strangers will start to glare at him as well – because there's obviously something worthy of staring at.

"Ichigo..." Rukia manages to bring out.

"Please sit, Kurosaki-kun... Grimmjow-san..." Orihime almost whispers. She pats the empty seat next to her. I carefully push Grimmjow in her direction. I don't think he should be sitting next to Renji just yet. We sit down. Grimmjow fidgets on his seat and makes himself comfortable.

"Guys..." I start, pointing at my new friend. "You probably know Grimmjow?"

Rukia's mouth is still open. From my group of friends, she looks the most shocked. Can't blame her though. Eventually, it was Grimmjow who put his fist through her stomach a long time ago.

Chad gives one firm nod.

"Yeah, we do. Can't say we expected to see him again, though," Uryu says.

"Believe me, neither did I Uryu..."

"Then what's he doing here?" Rukia says. I hear anger in her voice. Her grasp on the glass she's holding is firm. I know she's a small woman, but I don't doubt she could break the glass if she wanted. I feel grateful for being inside the bar. They all know that no matter how tempting it is, making a scene here would be unacceptable.

"He's... Urahara-san took him into the Shoten after we brought him from Hueco Mundo... About a week ago he asked me to take responsibility over Grimmjow. Ukitake-soutaichou wants me to look after him."

"Soutaichou wants _him_ to live in the Human World?" Rukia exclaims.

"Yeah... He's in a gigai now."

All the eyes are fixed on me and Rukia.

"He can't go back to his old form, Rukia... He's harmless-"

"Harmless! How can he be harmless?" she shrieks and bangs her hand on the table, "He worked under Aizen!"

"If he'd form a threat, he will be executed in Soul Society. If not, he is to remain in the Human World. I've just taken him in to learn him some things so he can go live on his own someday..."

"Wait. He lives in your _home_?" Uryu asks. He has a smirk on his face. Something tells me he finds this situation rather amusing, seeing I'm bearing the consequences of an unfortunate decision I made. I hear Rukia sigh deeply.

"Well, yeah. Urahara-san didn't have room for him anymore, and my dad agreed to it so..."

Grimmjow nods and points his thumb at me in a lazy manner. "I'm stuck with this guy, yeah."

I send my good friend next to me a careful glance. This is a good moment for him to shut the hell up.

Rukia lets out a frustrated sigh. "You're crazy, Ichigo. I can't believe you're doing this."

Things fall quiet for a moment. I don't know what to say. Honestly, I can't believe I'm doing this either.

"Grimmjow-san!" Orihime suddenly shrieks out of nowhere, "We should get drinks!"

"What? I don't wanna get-"

"Come on!" she wails, "You can choose on the card at the bar. Come on!" She's pulling his sleeve.

"Alright, alright," he grunts with a sigh, standing up slowly.

"Just bring me something, Inoue... You can choose." I say. What kind of drink I'm getting is the least of my concern right now. My gratitude towards Orihime has just risen, again, for getting Grimmjow away from here for just a moment.

"Ichigo." It's Renji's voice. I'm so glad he's finally gonna say something.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, looking me straight in the eye. I feel all the other pairs of eyes on my as well.

"I... I guess, yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. He's... he's not as bad as he seems, actually... He's annoying and loud... and he's an asshole, I know that, but... he's alright once you get to know him."

Renji's about to say something, I see, and I quickly butt in. "Renji... guys... Please just give him a chance?"

I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm freaking protecting this guy in front of my friends. Their former _enemy_. My former enemy. It used to be Grimmjow's only purpose to kill me, to kill them, to help bring down Soul Society... Yet here I am, trying to get a place for him in this damn world.

"We will give him a chance, Ichigo."

Chad... Thank you so much for being here tonight. Your presence is calming. You can always keep the peace, keep the order. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

The rest glares at Chad.

"Right?" he states, "Ichigo is our friend."

Renji shrugs. "Just don't expect me to save your ass when he tries to strangle you in your sleep."

"I believe I can try to tolerate him."

Uryu, you arrogant bastard, thank you.

I find myself looking at Rukia. She's not gaping anymore, but her eyes are angry and her eyebrows are furrowed. I can tell she won't be giving in so easily.

"Ichigo," she starts, "I will give _you_ a chance. To make this right. But if you ever think I'm doing this for him, I'll take back my words."

My eyes travel downwards again. I smile a little and hope they can see it. I don't think they know how much a burden has just fallen of my shoulders.

"Thank you, guys," I say. Inside I want to jump up and pull them all into a hug but I know I can't. Not yet. Especially Rukia. She needs some time to process this.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

I turn around and see Orihime and Grimmjow return to the table, drinks in their hands. Happily she puts a long glass in front of me. No doubt it's a cocktail. I just don't know which one.

"What's this?"

"Long Island cocktails!" she says enthusiastically while sitting down again. She and Grimmjow have one of their own. "You should all get some of these, guys!"

Renji stands up promptly. I don't even have to ask where he's going. Uryu, Chad and Rukia kindly decline Orihime's offer and continue their own drinks.

Long Island cocktails? Are you kidding me? Vodka, tequila, rum, gin _and_ Triple sec.

"Cheers!"

This is gonna be a long night.

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, all the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!_

_This chapter was too sappy, right? The name of the bar 'Cloud Nine' comes from Tifa's bar 'Seventh Heaven' (Final Fantasy) because I'm just that pitiful at making up names._


	6. Of Long Islands II and drunken truths

**"_Of Long Islands II and drunken truths"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

* * *

"Cheers!"

This is gonna be a long night.

I raise my glass and smile at my friends. Grimmjow looks at me with a questioning gaze.

"What are you doing?" he demands to know.

"When you and people you know get drinks together, you say cheers and raise your glass like this before you drink," I explain. I note that Rukia, Uryu and Chad are carefully observing the way I interact with Grimmjow.

Without objecting, he raises his glass a little and I lift mine up again as well. "Cheers."

"Grimmjow-san!" Orihime says, "You have to look each other in the eye when you do that! Otherwise, you'll have bad sex for seven years!"

"What?" he barely manages to say, looking from me to Orihime. "You mean us?"

I think Rukia just nearly choked on her drink.

"It's true, you know..." Renji states, not able to keep the grin off his face. He sits down next to me again, holding a Long Island cocktail in his hand. "Cheers!" he says, while looking in my eyes carefully. "Now drink your goddamn cocktails!"

I happily accept. The warm liquid burns it's way down my throat, but _damn_ it feels good. I'm not sure how long it's been since I've had a Long Island, but I can tell it's been too long. I haven't been out a lot lately. School has taken a lot of my time and after the war... there weren't many things to celebrate.

Grimmjow takes a drink too but puts his glass down again quickly. "What the hell is this?" he asks with a choked voice. The question is to be interpreted as an honest inquiry, I believe, because he doesn't seem to dislike it all that much when he takes another sip. His eyes are a bit red though. I bet mine are too.

"It's a Long Island!" Orihime says happily, "Vodka, tequila, rum and Triple sec!"

He frowns at her. "What are you saying, woman?"

"It's a cocktail. You know, all kinds of drinks put together? This one is called 'Long Island' and it's got a shitload of alcohol in it. You'll be drunk in no time," Renji explains.

I sure never expected that to happen. Not that I ever thought lowly of my friends, but hell, they're really blowing my mind here with their generosity. Them wanting to give Grimmjow a chance and all... Renji notices my confused look.

"What? Think I don't know what it's like learning about the Human World? Please. I'm like, _the specialist_ when it comes to that," he says, leaning back in his seat while gesturing at himself with his thumb.

I guess he's right. I remember when he used to be in this world for the first couple of times. The moment when he tried coffee for the first time comes to mind. Freeloader-san. Good times.

"You never had alcohol before?" I ask Grimmjow.

He looks at me like I'm retarded. "Are you stupid? Of course I did! This is better than sake though,", he says before taking another sip from his drink.

"Who gave you sake?" Renji asks. His glass is already half empty. Or half full. I'm guessing half empty, because technically more and more money disappears down our throats as we drink.

"Urahara."

I smirk at Renji. "I'm not surprised."

Uryu and Chad are quietly sipping their drinks – not cocktails I think – and Rukia seems a bit lost in thoughts. I think I'll try to have a word with her later, when things have quieted down a bit. Out of all people, I hate that she feels bad about this. Must be hard to see Renji – her all time friend – try to act 'nice' to someone she loathes so much.

"So what do you think of Karakura town, Grimmjow-san?" Inoue asks.

Seemingly, Grimmjow's trying to formulate a considered answer since the frown on his face deepens. I take a drink from my glass.

"It sucks balls," he starts casually, like he's not sitting with Karakura natives around at all, "but it's better than where I used to live, you know?"

"I find that not surprising," Uryu says, pushing his glasses up his nose, "we weren't very fond of Hueco Mundo either."

Renji bursts out laughing and so do I – a little less loud perhaps. Grimmjow takes another sip from his glass. It's almost empty. My attention wanders off to my own cocktail and I note mine's nearly gone as well.

"Seriously," Renji starts, then interrupting himself to laugh some more. "How could _you_ not have liked it?"

"What do you mean?" Grimmjow asks. He's leaning back into his chair comfortably.

"You had companions there, right?"

Rukia casts Renji an angry glare. Unfortunately I can't read what she's thinking, but I guess she just doesn't like the way _we_ – and most of all Renji – are talking to Grimmjow as if he's an equal. Then again... as if? Renji and Rukia are in a gigai as well, and I doubt if you could call me and the rest completely _human_ either. Grimjow's essentially a Hollow of course, while Renji and Rukia are Shinigami, but Espada have Shinigami powers too, right? And since I'm partially Hollow, I'm not sure if me and Grimmjow are as different as I'd want us to be.

"What?" Grimmjow says, frowning, "Companions?"

The rest of us is silent, awaiting an explanation. Or maybe we're silent because, even now, Hueco Mundo is an unpleasant subject to talk about. Personally I don't have issues with it, but it still brings up uneasiness. Like I should be mourning instead of sitting in a bar with friends. I don't mention it, though. And besides, the alcohol has numbed me a bit already.

"Companions! Ha!" he laughs, "Don't think so, Shinigami! There is no companionship in Hueco Mundo."

"That's right, I think!" Orihime shrieks, "Nnoitra-san wasn't your companion..."

"Please, woman! With your 'san' you make it sound like he was a freaking person."

I smirk and turn towards Grimmjow to glare him in the eyes. "You don't mind Inoue calling you 'Grimmjow-san'."

My new housemate glares and gives me a cynical smile. "I am a goddamn person, Kurosaki!", he says, "Ever since I'm stuck in this stupid body, that is."

"What? you don't like your gigai?" Renji asks. Then he empties his glass and sets it loudly back on the table.

I see Chad standing up.

"Do you need more drinks?" he asks with a deep voice. I nod my head and I hear affirmations from everyone. More Long Island cocktails, it is.

Renji returns his attention towards Grimmjow. "Well?"

After stretching himself thoroughly, Grimmjow shrugs. "It takes up so much time for maintenance, that's all."

I feel like butting in for a moment to remind Grimmjow that he shouldn't be complaining since I'm in 'a time consuming body' all the time. Ever since the day I was born. Then again, I keep my mouth shut because it's interesting to see him and Renji interact.

"What's so different then?" Uryu asks in a know-it-all manner. The smirk on his face speaks something, but I can't put my finger on it. Perception skills are going down slowly.

"You know, maintenance..." Grimmjow starts, "Eatin', pissin', shittin'..."

Orihime's face goes bright red, and so does Uryu's. Renji bursts out laughing and slams his hand on the table a few times. I see Rukia's got a tinge of red on her cheeks too. Me? I'm used to this. Grimmjow's summed up his complaints quite a lot of times already.

"You mean," Renji manages to say in a fit of laughter, "you, you know... Arrancar never...?"

"Course not!" Grimmjow barks, looking up as Chad returns and puts the drinks on the table. He grabs a new cocktail and takes a sip. "What would we be shittin' then? We only eat souls! You think there was a kitchen in Las Noches or something? Or a fucking supermarket?"

Looks like Grimmjow now really has caught Renji's interest. "So, no food? What about, you know... sex?"

Rukia flinches. "Renji!"

I burst out in laughter. So badly, I have to wipe the tears from my eyes. He and Grimmjow, they make quite a pair.

"Abarai-kun!" Orihime exclaims in a high pitched voice, "That's very private! You shouldn't ask this!" Underneath the blush on her face, I can see the smile though.

"What? You think we don't know how to have a good time?" Grimmjow asks roughly. "Che!"

The worst thing is, I see he opens his mouth again to continue. Through the alcohol induced numbness, my brain orders me to intervene, like, right now.

"Okay, guys," I interrupt – still grinning - "I really don't want to know this, alright? Grimmjow here lives in my house. I don't want to think about... you know..." I gesture something with my hands that doesn't look like anything, but heck. I'm trying to save people from embarrassment and weeks of ear bleeding.

The thought creeps me out already. Like any healthy young man, I like to take 'prolonged' showers once in a while. Every couple of days... Sometimes every day. Whatever. Thing is, that shower is fucking mine. No one else gets to jerk off in it, especially not... _Forget about this, Ichigo. _I can't even think it.

"Kurosaki here's the biggest fag I've ever met in my life, by the way," Grimmjow mentions as a side note, pointing his thumb at me. Laughter.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to save a life anymore.

The walk home normally takes ten minutes at most. Tonight, I think we managed to make it thirty. I haven't been drunk like this in a long, long time. It's the kind of drunk that makes you unable to walk straight and makes you talk too much. Grimmjow's having a particularly bad case of the last one. It's not that he's _not_ talkative on any normal day, but this is quite the opposite. He has the urge to comment on _everything_ he sees. Everything that comes into his mind must be spoken aloud. I can't say I'm better off than him, though.

My sight is unstable and the world seems to be moving too fast; that, or I'm moving too slow.  
So we slump home, rather close to each other because I don't want him to wander off on the road and get run over. All we do is talk. About everything. Apparently, Grimmjow kind of likes my friends. Except for Rukia – and Uryu, not so much either on second thought, 'because he's a fag' – but that feeling of dislike is mutual, I'm sure.

And then, somehow, the subject of conversation is Grimmjow's stay at my place. Hell if I know how we end up talking about this, but we do, and it makes me feel mellow.

"You know, Kurosaki," he starts. In the haze that is my mind I note that the way he speaks my name reminds me of Neliel. Like he's drooling and speaking at the same time, you know?

"If I wouldn't be... at your place?" he goes on.

He talks a lot, but he pauses a lot too. It seems like he has to remember what the hell he was talking about every few seconds.

"Yeah?" I ask. I try to keep my voice as normal as possible. I want to be the sober one here, so I can rub in tomorrow how drunk _he_ was.

"If I weren't at your place? You know, I'd probably be dead..." That is one hell of a truth.

I nod my head while pulling his sleeve a little. He's wandering off towards the border of the road again.

"But!" he continues, pointing a finger at my face. In a freaking second, he's so close I flinch. I think he would've poked me in the eye if I hadn't dodged a little.

"But! If I wasn't dead, I'd make it my life goal to kill you, Shinigami!"

_What the hell? Is he serious?_

Shock drains some of the blood from my head and the world suddenly spins even more. The smile on his face is feral and menacing, but inside I know I could easily fight him off. Finding an appropriate answer is difficult in this state, and besides, I'm flustered. "Well..."

"And!" he interrupts me, pointing at me again, "Maybe, if I wasn't dead, I... no..." I back off a little and let him stand there on the sidewalk. He seems stable on his two feet, but like a single blow could knock him over.

It takes him a little while to collect his thoughts again. Somehow, I don't feel the need to remind him what he was saying.

"Yeah! Kurosaki!" Neliel pops up in my mind again. Too much saliva, and all.

"I was saying... if I'd been dead, yeah... but I'm alive now, and your home is nice and all... the bed is warm..."

_It's official now. I've entered the twilight zone._

"... and I guess..." he continues, with much effort, "I guess you're cooler than I thought. Shinigami..."

He takes a step towards me again and roughly shakes my sleeve. Somehow we end up almost falling over. I think I just tripped over my own foot. Again.

"Well..." I say, a bit hesitant, "That's nice, Grimmjow. I guess... you're cooler than I thought too... I mean... you're an asshole, but an okay asshole, or something..."

He bursts out in laughter. Not a second later, I can't help but laughing too. I decide to stop trying to give meaning to whatever's happening, because I'm totally lost.

Yet, I make a mental note to remember this. Alcohol can make people blurt out the most shameful, ignorant, retarded, useless and inappropriate things – Renji's really good at that one – _but_ I'm convinced that it also brings out some truth. The realization that Grimmjow just said something nice, _about me_, hits me full force and I feel all warm inside. Might have been the alcohol as well, I'm not sure.

* * *

Now we're finally at my place and I feel like I just ran a marathon. I explicitly tell both myself and Grimmjow to keep our mouths shut when inside. I don't want to wake anyone. For all I know my dad is in the house without me knowing, and I do _not_ want to see him right now, no matter how long he's been in Soul Society.

On the stairs, I manage to trip over my own foot and stumble into Grimmjow, who's walking behind me. He loses his balance too for a moment, but somehow we get upstairs successfully. Two times I grab next to my door handle.

"Are you drunk?" he scoffs at me, that wicked grin on his face again. Well, maybe a slightly more stupid wicked grin than usual.

"No, I'm not," I say, managing to sound confident, I think? At least I make it into my room without swaying.

I quickly get changed. I wanna be in bed as soon as possible, just close my eyes and fall into a deep coma.

"Are you, then?" I ask, getting comfortable in my bed.

Grimmjow's still up and about, fighting with his pants and vest. I hear a button pop off my shirt and I wince. Nothing that can't be fixed though, I'll have him sew it back on tomorrow. The thought of that brings a crooked smile to my face. My heart makes a leap when I spot Grimmjow nearly tripping over his feet because of a foot stuck in the leg. I decide Grimmjow is the imbecile type of drunk.

"Nope!" he says cheerfully. He's finally gotten out of his clothes.

About ten minutes later, he's finally on his mattress and I turn off the light.

Sluggishly, I mutter "Night, Grimmjow."

He shuffles in his sheets.

"Oi, Kurosaki..."

"What?"

"The room's spinning."

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, all the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
I'm sorry for taking longer to update but the academic year has started again and I've got a load of work and training ahead of me! I'm slightly pissed at myself! Hopefully, the next chapter will be better and uploaded sooner!_


	7. Of hangovers and Kurosaki Isshin

**"_Of hangovers and Kurosaki Isshin"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

* * *

"Ichigo!"

On a Sunday morning, sleep is to be considered holy in my humble opinion. Especially after a night of drinking Long Island cocktails and slumping home in the middle of the night. And especially after not being able to fall asleep because my good friend Grimmjow here had to whine for hours about how everything was spinning and how being drunk was suddenly not fun anymore.

"Ichigooo!"

Now, I am completely honest when I say that I love my sisters to death, but that doesn't mean I enjoy them storming into my room on this ungodly hour. I haven't even opened my eyes yet and already I feel the massive headache pounding in my poor, dehydrated skull.

I hear a loud, annoyed groan coming from next to me. For a moment it sounds way too close and my fogged up mind wonders if this blue haired menace somehow ended up in my bed.

"Shh... the fuck up..."

No, that definitely came from the ground. If I hadn't been half asleep, I'd nudge him in the face for cursing at my sisters.

"Ichi-ni! It's three in the afternoon! Wake up already!"

When they come over to my bed and Yuzu tickles my foot, I can't help but flinch, retract my feet under the sheets and open my eyes. The haze blurs my sight for a few seconds but fades easily when I blink a few times. Karin's face is the first thing I see and she doesn't look pleased, standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Ichigo! Get out!"

"But why..." I mutter sleepily. My mouth is so dry it feels like I've eaten a freaking desert.

"Dad's home, Ichi-ni!" Yuzu explains in Karin's place.

Wait. What? Since when?

At that moment, from the corner of my eye, I spot Yuzu. Yuzu, who is currently reaching out to a foot sticking out from under the sheets. It's not my foot. With all the energy I can currently bring up, I push myself upright and reach out to her with my hand. "Yuzu, no!" I yell dramatically but it's already too late. The foot retracts under the sheet in a blink of an eye.

"'the fuck..." Grimmjow's voice is still thick with sleep and when I roll over to the side of my bed I see he's got his head covered with pillows and blankets. Only a few strands of bright blue hair poke out underneath. He shifts and pushes himself up. I quickly gesture to Yuzu to come over to me, but she giggles and remains where she is. Karin stands behind her, hands still on her hips.

"Who _the fuck_ touched my fucking foot?" he asks. I think he's trying to sound intimidating, but at this hour and with his hangover, the sound of his voice rather resembles a wounded animal. His appearance gives new meaning to the definition of 'hungover'. I've never seen his hair so out of place and there's a tinge of green – or grey? – on his face.

"Grimmjow!" Yuzu says cheerfully, sending him a small wave with her hand, "Come and meet dad!"

If you thought I were brave, take a good look at my sisters.

"If you...", he starts, but then clears his throat a few times, "... ever touch my foot again... I'm gonna throw you out... of the fucking window..." He's not joking. That look in his eyes is never joking.

"Yuzu, Karin," I say, gesturing them to get the hell out of my room, "wait downstairs, we'll be there in a minute."

Unfortunately, my attempt to save their lives goes unnoticed. Instead, I find my sisters curiously staring at Grimmjow.

"What happened to you anyway?" Karin demands, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow, "you look like you're gonna barf."

Now I thought I'd never see Grimmjow retreating from a fight – be it physical or verbal. As by some odd twist of fate, somehow, my sisters manage to get away from him unharmed as he merely gives them a stare, only to let himself curl up on his bed again.

"See you in a minute," Karin mutters as she and Yuzu go out of my room.

"Y-yeah... in a minute." I bring out.

I shake my head lightly to get rid of the confusion about what just happened, but I quickly regret doing so when the headache sets in again. If I'm feeling like _this_, I don't think I want to know how my good friend Grimmjow is feeling right now. In the end, he's only been in a gigai for a few weeks. No way his body can tolerate alcohol as well as mine yet. Somehow, that thought cheers me up. It means I win at something after all. Against my own body's will, I manage to get up and I stretch thoroughly.

'Hey," I mutter as I nudge Grimmjow in the side with my foot, "get out. My dad's home."

An animalistic groan comes from underneath the covers and a hand angrily pushes away my foot. "Leave me the fuck alone, asshole..."

I smile sheepishly. "Got a headache, Espada?"

Grimmjow's form lashes out violently in my direction. I barely manage to dodge his clawing hands by jumping backwards. Someone's being extremely volatile today. The good thing is that technically, he's now out of bed. Well, partially, at least. Next thing I see is him trying to get his upper body back onto his mattress.

"Hey! Get the hell out, man!" I throw a shirt on his head, which he leaves there while he retreats to the bed. "Get your lazy ass downstairs to meet my dad. If it weren't for him, you'd be in jail in Soul Society."

Another groan comes from his direction. I sigh.

"I thought you'd handle a couple of drinks better than this, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," I mumble while getting some decent clothes on. Now this is how one must deal with Grimmjow.

"Shut up, Shinigami!"

Good, if I can rile him up a little, maybe he'll get out in an attempt to kick my ass.

"What's wrong?" I continue, "Never had a hangover before?"

The one eyed glare he gives me tells me 'no'.

"Feeling sick?"

He groans again and rolls around to look me in the eye. "Shut up!" I take that as a yes.

I grab a pair of clean socks and wriggle my feet into them. "I thought you'd be okay with that, actually. Didn't you vomit up hairballs all the time when you were Pantera?"

Alright, I've done it. He's out of bed alright.

I can feel a black eye coming my way, so I quickly sprint to the door and close it behind me. From the hall, I can hear Grimmjow cursing and making noise. I think he's getting clothes from my closet. He should really get some stuff of his own. That reminds me, we're supposed to go shopping tomorrow after school. _I look forward to it already._ That's a joke, for your information. I'm not a shopping type of person, so I don't really enjoy it; let alone with someone like Grimmjow.

About a minute later, my blue haired roommate emerges from my room and instinctively I hop towards the stairs when I see the murderous look in his eyes. Okay, I wanted to piss him off to get him out of bed, but perhaps I overdid it. Just a bit.

On my way downstairs a chill runs down my spine when I feel him following me too closely. Fortunately, I hear voices downstairs and I know that Grimmjow at least has the decency and the brains to not punch me in the face while my sisters and _dad_ are around.

"Look who's here!"

For a second I think this warm welcome is directed towards me. I'm wrong, though.

Kurosaki Isshin. My father. He stands there with his arms wide open, _yelling_ – he's a loud man – at Grimmjow, as if he were a guest on Christmas who's coming home after having been away for too long. Grimmjow... who is everything but a Christmas guest that's been away for too long; who was instead my arch enemy once, someone who couldn't have been away from my home long enough.

Dad threads towards Grimmjow with a few heavy steps – blatantly _passes_ _me_ - and grabs him by his upper arms with his huge hands. Can't count the times I got a punch from those. Grimmjow looks... hungover still, but there's also a look in his eyes that I can't really describe as anything but horror. As far as I know, Grimmjow never had relatives – let alone close friends – and thus is completely unaware of parental affection; of any affection. The only times I ever touched him was when we were beating the crap out of each other in Hueco Mundo.

"What the-"

"Grimmjow-kun! How do you like my lovely family?" dad yells at his face, not caring about Grimmjow tensing up and trying to get rid of his touch, "Has Ichigo been treating you well? How was your stay with Urahara-san? Do you like the neighborhood around here?"

"Dad!"

My dad turns and faces me.

"Ichigo! Son!" he yells. Grimmjow takes this opportunity to shrug off my dad's hands and takes a step back quickly. His bright blue eyes are wider than usual. My dad comes storming towards me and pulls me into a bear hug. For a moment, I can't breathe. I think that Grimmjow should realize – upon seeing me being crushed to death - that he should be happy with the affection he got.

"Dad..." I manage to bring out, "Stop it." He complies and lets me go, but not without ruffling my hair. I hate it when someone does that. Ugh.

"Boys!" he yells, as if Grimmjow and I are relatives, "Have something to eat."

The way Grimmjow puts a comforting hand onto his churning stomach brings a smile to my face. Although I have to admit that I'm not feeling too hungry either.

"We're okay dad..."

"Nonsense!" he barks, "Sit down."

Now I must say that Kurosaki Isshin is not a man whom one can say no to. Not easily, at least. His energy just radiates from him and it's hard not to get sucked into the chaotic, yet warm whirlwind he brings. So I'm surprised when Grimmjow simply shakes his head and strolls off to the living room, where he drops himself on the couch. Dad's overwhelming presence doesn't win over Grimmjow's stubborn selfishness apparently.

I feel a ping of embarrassment, guilt even, when dad's face makes a confused, sad expression at Grimmjow's behavior. After all, it was me who got this ex-Espada into our house.

"Grimmjow-kun..." he says, more to himself than to anyone in the room really. But then he shakes his head and in a second, his eyes are happily on fire again. "Ichigo! Sit down, son! I think Grimmjow needs some more time to adjust."

Some more time to adjust, my ass!

"But I'm not hungry either, dad, I think I'll just go work for scho-"

"Oh, come on!"

A short while later I find myself sitting at the table, stuffing eggs into my mouth. My dad's sitting across me and until now, he's been asking questions non stop. About my sisters, how they're doing at school, how I'm managing to take care of the house while he's gone, about Urahara; but most of all about Grimmjow. He wants to know everything. From how I picked him up at the Shoten to how he likes his freaking eggs.

Now I can't deny this urge of mine to try and do good for people, so what I do basically is tell dad everything and let out the parts where Grimmjow's being a total asshole. Unfortunately, it's wrong of me – again - to think that trying to do good for Grimmjow has any positive effect for _me_.

"Oh, yeah, dad... I was wondering if I could borrow some money for tomorrow?"

Dad raises a curious eyebrow.

"Grimmjow needs some stuff, but he doesn't have any money, you know... and he really needs some clothes... and a cell phone."

I think my heart nearly falls out of my ass from shock when suddenly dad slams a huge fist on the wooden table. "Ichigo! I thought I'd raised you better than this! Of course he needs new stuff! And a cell phone at least!"

"Yeah..." I manage, the shock not entirely gone from my system yet, "That's why I'm asking..."

"Grimmjow!" Dad yells. Until now, the ex-Espada hasn't been following the conversation at all. He's been switching channels for about ten minutes.

"What?" he mutters from the couch he's hanging on. His eyes don't leave the TV screen. His interest is _zero_, seriously, I can't grasp why my dad seems so damn fond of him. He tried to kill me multiple times! My dad's argument against that echoes in my head... _It's all in the past, son._

"I'm sorry for Ichigo's rude behavior! I would've expected him to have bought you some stuff already. I'll leave you money on the desk here tomorrow."

"Sure..." comes the lazy reply from my blue haired friend.

What? _What?_

"Dad! How could I have bought him stuff?" I object. I'm seriously offended here. "I don't have the goddamn money for that!"

I want to say something about all the drinks I paid for him yesterday night, but I decide not to mention the cocktail bar.

"Language, son!"

I think I'm about to die of high blood pressure now. Has he _ever_ heard Grimmjow open _his_ mouth?

"It's okay, Ichigo, go with him tomorrow. Make sure he gets everything," he says, patting me on the shoulder.

"Sure, dad..." I mumble, giving up on trying to convert my dad to thinking about Grimmjow in a more rational way.

Sometimes, a person has to take peace with their situation. I guess this is where I accept mine. I guess I'm stuck with this guy, and apparently I'm the only one in this home who thinks he's an asshole. I get up, put my half empty plate with the other dishes and head towards the stairs.

"I'm gonna do some homework, alright? I've got loads to do..."

When I'm climbing the stairs, I find this empty feeling in my gut. I guess I feel a tinge of neglect. I really wish for Grimmjow to stay downstairs for a couple of hours because the last thing I wanna see right now is his face.

I vaguely wonder if Aizen – technically Grimmjow's maker, the closest thing to a dad he'll ever have – would've kissed my ass too if the Espada would've gotten me into Las Noches as a roommate. Guess not.

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, all the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
I'm sorry for taking longer to update but the academic year has started again and I've got a load of work and training ahead of me!_


	8. Of city lights and shopping sprees

**"_Of city lights and shopping sprees"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

* * *

The next day I haven't forgotten about the 'dad and Grimmjow' situation yet, but my friends at school manage to make me feel better. Sometimes it's good to be in another environment for a while, just to put yourself back on track again.

Apparently, my friends found our night out at the cocktail bar rather enjoying. Especially Orihime; she insists we do it over again someday soon. Chad doesn't really say anything – except for the occasional approving 'hm' – but the smile on his face tells me he's okay with this whole thing. Uryu's being his Quincy self, as usual.

"I still can't believe you can live with that creature, Ichigo", he smirks, pushing his glasses up while speaking, "he's so obnoxious and so _loud_."

"Oh, come on, Ishida," I say defensively, "he was trying to be nice. He's just got a lot left to learn."

Classes are over for today. While I wanted to pick up Grimmjow at home before going into town, he insisted he'd come to my school by himself. For all I know he ended up at the other side of Karakura.

"I don't doubt that, Kurosaki. Just don't forget that you can't change one's personality. Even when he's learned everything about human life, he'll still be who he's always been."

"Ishida-kun!" Orihime objects quietly, "That's not true... People can change. I'm sure Grimmjow can change as well!" She pinches my arm in a comforting way and I smile.

"Now, he should be over here somewhere..." I mumble, gazing at the street before the school exit.

And then, I can see him appearing in my sight, casually strolling over here with the wind in his hair. He's holding a can of coke in his hand nonchalantly. If I hadn't known him, I swear I wouldn't have guessed he once were a spiritual creature. He looks so... human; wearing my clothes – except for the black hoodie he got from Urahara – and sipping the soda. His face carries the usual scowl.

I can't stop staring at him. Luckily, he doesn't notice. Simply because he's not looking at the people around him, that is; he doesn't give a shit about what they think. I notice that somehow, he looks tired too. Tired, or rather annoyed, I think. Annoyed with this world and with everything in it. I figure that maybe he is.

"Grimmjow!" I yell at him, holding my hand in front of my brow to block out the sun. It's a bright day, although it's windy and it's getting colder.

"Grimmjow-kun!" Orihime greets him happily.

"Oi, woman..." he grunts as a reply when he's close enough for us to hear him, "Kurosaki..."

Chad gives Grimmjow a firm nod – which he returns - and Uryu doesn't say a thing, he just stands there, smirking. Grimmjow ignores his presence.

"You made it," I say, and apparently I sound surprised. I am actually.

"What? You thought I couldn't find your school?" Grimmjow scoffs. He squeezes his empty soda can together and tosses it into a bin nearby. Good. At least he remembers not to throw garbage on the ground. A tinge of accomplishment flutters in my chest. _Good going, Ichigo._

"Let's go, Kurosaki. I want that damn phone."

Orihime claps her hands together in enthusiasm. "You're going to buy a cell phone? That's so cool! Then we can send messages, and if you want you can call of course! When Ichigo's at school and you'd be bored... Or wait... I'd be at school too..."

When Inoue's eyes gaze of into nothingness I know we've lost her for a while.

"Alright, let's go... We all know patience is not a virtue of yours," I say, looking at Grimmjow, "Guys, we're going in that direction, the subway's over there," I continue. I wave my friends goodbye.

"Subway?" Grimmjow asks curiously. He's now walking next to me, hands in his pockets.

"It's like a train, but less fast and underground."

I can tell from Grimmjow's face that my description didn't clear up his confusion. "What?"

"You'll see."

The way into the underground metro station is a quest on its own. Grimmjow follows me closely. Until now, I guess I never fully realized how complicated our civilized world really is. _Everything_ is moving, making noise, scanning, registering; confusing. He looks weird at the moving staircase and I decide to take him to the regular flight of stairs. The machine in which you put your card to be able to go through to the platforms makes him hesitate. I think it's time for some further explaining.

"Just put your card in there, see?" I say, making my ticket disappear in the machine. It rattles a bit and then the light turns green and I can push myself through the moving doors. "Look at the arrow on the card, Grimmjow, that's how you have to insert it."

Of course he manages to get through without any problem but I can tell he's feeling unnerved.

"Fuck..." he moans, "are there always so many people?"

I scoff. "This is merely a Monday afternoon; you should see the sub on a Saturday. Even I try to avoid that."

"I don't like it."

In some way, that sounds like a very genuine, honest expression of emotion; for Grimmjow, that is. He complains a lot, yes, but usually he does that in a loud way, with a lot of cursing thrown in. This is different.

"I don't like it either."

Grimmjow casts me a small smile. He knows he's not the only one. For him, that's all that matters. As long as he's not alone, cast aside, threatened or driven into a corner; he's cool.

When our ride arrives on the platform, a cold breeze blows through my hair. We're standing pretty close to the edge, and just for safety I gesture to Grimmjow to back off a little. He does so without asking. Only now I realize how freaking _loud_ these things actually are, and I'm not even thinking about the horde of people chattering everywhere, pushing themselves into a carriage.

"Come on," I say, "mind the gap." Grimmjow follows, carefully looking down when he steps over the small gap. Of course he's not stupid enough to step into it or trip, but he really looks like he can use some guidance right now. When the beeping sound echoes in the carriage to announce the closing of the automatic doors, he blinks with big eyes and turns his head, as if trying to determine where it comes from.

"It's an alarm to make sure the doors won't close when people are still standing there," I explain. He gives me a small nod. His bright blue eyes are looking elsewhere, though. So many people, making so much noise, the subway screeching against the metal rails, all the advertisements inside, the jerking of the carriage in the turns; he's absorbing everything. His hands hold the metal bars tightly, like mine.

"Are you alright?" I ask. It's out of my mouth before I realize it.

"Yeah, sure," he says. This time, he's not insulting me for asking. "It's just warm in here."

"I know. We'll be out in no time. The city center is just a few stops away."

Ten minutes later or so, we can finally get off. I don't like the subway either but Grimmjow _really_ seems to dislike it. I can imagine it's confusing indeed when one's there for the first time. So we get away from the platforms through various tunnels. I think it takes us about a hundred stairs to get out of here. When we arrive outside, the fresh air brings relief.

"The phone shop is that way. Let's go," I say.

"Burgers!"

_No..._ Why do fast-food stands always have to be in front of subway stations? There's no way I'm going to get Grimmjow away from here without buying him a burger unless I want him to throw a tantrum like a little kid.

"Kurosaki! Buy me a burger!" he demands, grabbing my sleeve and already pulling me towards the stand. Everything is painted red and white. It's one of these typical fair stands that look like they're made of carton and smell like burnt fish and grease. The two people behind the counter look fat and bored. Their aprons are smeared with a brown substance. I'm not hungry.

"Alright, alright..." I mutter, shaking his hand off my sleeve, "what do you want?"

"Cheeseburger!" Grimmjow yells, loud enough for the owner to hear. The man immediately starts making the order.

When it's done, Grimmjow takes it from the guy's hands and I think he already has his teeth in it before the owner can let go of it. I don't grasp why he's so fond of this junk. Then he quickly pulls the burger from his mouth again and fans himself with his hand.

"Hot?" I ask while I give the owner the money.

Grimmjow nods.

"You should learn to be more patient, seriously," I mention.

When we walk into another street, not far off, the burger's already disappeared.

"That was so awesome... I want more."

I scoff. "Yeah, but if you wanna eat burgers every day you're gonna have to find yourself a job. I don't have the money for that."

He kicks at something on the floor. "Che..."

I stop walking abruptly and Grimmjow nearly bumps into me. "The hell?" he mumbles.

"Here's a clothing store I go to sometimes," I say, "we could take a look if you want."

"Ha! Yeah!"

The automatic glass doors catch Grimmjow's interest. When they open before him, he glances around suspiciously.

"There's a device that registers if a person's in front of the door or not. Be cool, nobody's watching you."

"Yeah, I know that." That's so not true.

The store is crowded with people. "So, what are you looking for exactly?" I ask him. I have to raise my voice in order for him to understand me. People are chattering all around us.

"Fuck if I know!" he yells, and I see a lady throwing us a weird look. I wish he'd do something about his language sometimes. "You brought me here. Point out some good stuff, Kurosaki."

We end up walking all the way into the back of the store. Underwear. For your information, Grimmjow's been wearing mine all this time and honestly, I don't feel like wearing those again. Ever.

He's a difficult person to shop with, I note. Everything I suggest he might like, he thinks it's shit. He's clearly not fond of crowds. Every time a person bumps into him or merely touches him, he scowls.

"The fuck is up with all these assholes?" he asks, "Che.."

"Just ignore them, Grimmjow." I spot a small couch in a corner and feel tempted to go sit on my ass while he browses through _everything_.

I'm an easy shopper, I believe. When I go into town, most of the times I know exactly what I need and how much I'm willing to spend. Useless stuff goes totally passed me. Maybe it's a virtue one learns by experience. I decide to cut Grimmjow some slack though – it's his first time out shopping, so yeah - and stick by his side while he goes through all the crap.

An hour later, I have to drag him to the check out. Literally. He refuses to try on the clothes because he's 'not a fag'. I just let him be, really. If the stuff won't fit, I'm gonna laugh.

"That would be 34000 Yen, please."

Grimmjow smirks. "Sounds like a lot!"

I dig into my wallet to retrieve the money dad left. I hope we'll have enough money left for the phone. "It is," I state dryly. The cashier suppresses a smile.

"Thanks," I say and I accept the two big bags of clothing she hands me. I shove one into Grimmjow's side. Fortunately, he takes it without complaining. Instead, he peeks into the bag and grins at his prize.

"Sweet!"

"Yeah, come on, let's go to the phone shop."

"Alright, alright.." he murmurs while we walk out of the store, "What crawled up your ass?"

I let out a small, annoyed sigh. "Closing hours."

"Oh."

We're back on the busy street. The sun's starting to fade and the sky is reduced to a dark, grayish atmosphere pressing upon the city. I glance besides me from time to time just to check if Grimmjow's still with me.

In the mass of people surrounding us, there's this guy walking ahead of us, smoking a cigarette. I see Grimmjow sniffing the air.

"What's up with that anyway?" he asks.

"Cigarettes?"

"Yeah." So he knows what they are. Good. Or not good, whatever. I bet Urahara must have mentioned it to him. "They smell weird," he continues, "I see people with them everywhere."

"Well, a lot of people smoke," I explain, "but they're very expensive and bad for your health. So I wouldn't start smoking if I were you."

"I didn't say I would, Kurosaki!" he yells. We receive some curious glances from people passing us by. He's so freaking loud. "People are so stupid..." he mumbles but I don't reply.

We keep on going ahead. A few meters further there's another junk food stand.

"Kurosaki!" I can see the lustful glares Grimmjow throws at the stand.

"No."

"Come on!" he roars... "Pretty please?"

"I said no."

Grimmjow scoffs. "Damn miser..."

I completely ignore him; a good way to deal with him sometimes.

A short while later we arrive at the mobile phone shop. The neon lighting is a high contrast against the dull gray sky and I squint my eyes when I look at it. I'm glad it's getting late. The crowd of people roaming the streets is clearly becoming less and less huge and the shop itself seems not too filled.

Grimmjow's standing with his hands against the glass, carefully peeking at some of the models shown in the display window. If he leans in any closer he'll bump his head.

"See anything you like?" I ask. Fatigue's catching up on me. School _and_ shopping is a bit too much for one day. I don't feel like arguing with Grimmjow any more, especially not about a phone. A hunch tells me that he won't care about the functionality of it anyway; he'll just want a cool looking cell.

"How do I choose?" he asks. I'm surprised. He's actually considering to choose wisely. Good for him.

"Depends what you're looking for... Let's just go inside and ask someone."

He shrugs and follows me into the store. A salesman comes up to us immediately to ask if we need some help.

"Good evening. Can I help you with s-"

"I want a phone," Grimmjow interrupts. The man clears his throat.

"Alright..." he says, "What kind of phone were you looking for exactly?"

My blue haired friend shrugs. "Fuck if I know!"

I think my face is as red as my namesake. "Grimmjow..." I murmur, nudging him in the side.

"What?" he asks casually, turning towards me as if I'd need something. I sigh and shake my head. _Never mind. _The salesman fixes his tie.

"Look," I butt in, "I'm very sorry, sir, he's not from around here..." Grimmjow throws me an angry glare and looks like he's about to say something. I forcefully nudge him in the side though and he shuts up. Instantly, the face of the poor man lights up a bit.

"I think he needs a phone that can withstand some... damage. Is there anything you could recommend? I haven't bought a new phone in ages."

We end up buying Grimmjow a cool phone, if I say so myself. It's a black one with metallic blue accents; the most expensive one of the series the salesman presented to us but Grimmjow _insisted_ on having the blue one. The box says it's supposed to be shockproof. I don't mention that to my good friend here since I don't want to end up with him trying to experiment with _how_ shockproof it is.

"Let's go home," I say when we get out of the store.

"_Your_ home," Grimmjow corrects me. I give him the stare. While I expect him to show me a crazy grin, he doesn't. His brow is furrowed and he looks up at the sky.

For a moment I don't know what to say so we just walk further towards the subway in silence.

"You know..." I start quietly.

Usually, when I'm with friends I can enjoy a moment of silence. True friends don't need words all the time to explain themselves. It can be fulfilling to meet up with someone, just sit on your asses for a couple of hours without saying anything, then going home and thinking 'I had a good time'. With Grimmjow, I feel different. Somehow it unnerves me when he's silent like this. Weird, how a person adjusts so easily to someone's usual behavior; which in Grimmjow's case is loud and just _there_. You can't get passed him without noticing his presence.

So I fail to keep my mouth shut till we're at the underground station.

"It would be stupid if I had to say 'my place' all the time... Or if you'd have to say 'Ichigo's home', you know? You can just call it _home_, if you want..."

I don't know exactly what I'm saying, let alone what my intentions are. Of course it's not his home. It's not like we adopted him. Hell no. On the contrary; because of my own impulsive action – to save his life – he was kind of forced into mine. I just... don't want him to feel unwelcome.

"I don't have a home."

His answer is dry and his eyes are serious. Cold.

"What about Hueco Mundo then?" I ask, trying to get him to talk. "You used to live there."

"Ha..." he scoffs quietly, "Hueco Mundo ain't no home."

I shrug. "I'm just saying that-"

"Drop it, Kurosaki."

I'm happy to oblige if he's being so weird about this. It's no big deal but hey, if he's got issues I'm not in the mood to face them tonight.

"Give me the phone, will you?" he demands.

"It has to charge for twelve hours before you can use it."

We arrive at the subway and head down the flight of stairs. If we're lucky we won't have to wait for too long.

"What if I use it before then?"

"Well... Then it will get broken," I lie. 

At night, when I'm covered in warm sheets and just about to zone out, I swear I hear the muffled sound of phone buttons being pressed.

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
I'm sorry for taking longer to update but the academic year has started again and I've got a load of work and training ahead of me! Reviews are love, of course!_

_I don't know much about the Japanese underground system. I have based my descriptions on my experience with English and Spanish subways and those of my home country.  
34000 Yen is about 410 USD and about 300 EURO.  
The chapter is also longer than the others, but I felt I couldn't cut the shopping spree in two. I hope it's worth the wait!_


	9. Of overflowing matters and breaking dams

**"_Of overflowing matters and breaking dams"_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach._  
_Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy._  
_Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews._  
_Feedback is highly appreciated!_

_Sorry for the delayed update. My internet was fried!_

_

* * *

_

Grimmjow loves to play Tetris on his new mobile. I'm at school during week days so I'm not sure, but I think he just lounges on the bed and plays Tetris the whole freaking day. Talk about being lazy. For the past three days, I've found him like this after school. Another game he likes is to call my cell just to hang up after a few rings, because 'he's not gonna waste money to talk to me'. I've never seen him send text messages though and I've wondered many times how well he can read - if he can read at all.

Right now I'm sitting hunched over my desk, carefully staring at the pages before me. It's getting dark outside. The days are becoming shorter. I have a History test tomorrow and I can't afford to fail. Grimmjow's on my bed. My sheets are rumpled. I hadn't expected any different though; when Grimmjow comes around to lie down on one's bed they're doomed to find it in a mess afterwards. He loves to fidget and roll around until he's made a comfortable nest of blankets. Trust him to deny that he resembles the nature of his Zanpakutou. Right.

"Grimmjow, stop calling me," I say when my phone vibrates for the fifth time or so. I've already turned off the sound so now it's silently spazzing its way to the edge of my desk.

"I'm trying to study."

He sighs. "I'm bored."

I can imagine he is. I'm away most of the day and so are my sisters and dad. Basically, he spends his days alone except for the weekends and after five. He's got no friends, no job, no schoolwork and no hobbies.

"Find something to do," I say lazily, trying to focus on my work. I've read this part a hundred times already and I still can't grasp what it actually says.

"This place is shit..." he mumbles.

Other than letting out a sigh, I don't react.

"Kurosaki..." he whines, "do something."

"Play Tetris."

"I've been doing that all day!"

"Find something else then," I say. I don't have the time to keep him entertained, really. I guess I could suggest for him to go visit Orihime, but she has this test too and she'd be too kind to throw him out so she could study.

I'm content when Grimmjow is silent for at least five minutes. Since the War ended I really have to work hard to keep my grades up. I have a lot to catch up to. Sadly, Grimmjow doesn't understand the importance of school so he's no source of sympathy. When I try to explain, he just shrugs and asks why someone should know so much when they can fight like I can. Unfortunately, this is not the spiritual world and thus it's not about skills but about _money_. Money, earned by a _job_. A good job, earned by a decent _school degree_.

I wonder what will become of Grimmjow in years from now. This is supposed to be a temporary solution but somehow I just can't imagine him living on his own, let alone get a job and take care of himself.

"Kurosaki."

With his need to be amused and entertained and his tendency to be bored easily, there's no way in hell he could get a job right now and be able to keep it longer than a week.

I don't even bother to reply. I know he just wants to have some fun and expects me to do something about it.

"Kurosaki!"

My phone vibrates again. _Goddamn Espada_.

"Why don't you make yourself useful?" I say.

I turn towards him and see his brow furrowed. He's contemplating something.

"Are you saying I'm useless?"

I smirk. "Not really. But since you're obviously bored and bothering _me_ with it, why don't you look for something to do?"

He thinks some more.

"Like what?" he asks. I note that his tone doesn't sound _that_ disapproving. I sense some genuine interest.

"I don't know... make some food, do the dishes, clean something... You can clean my room all you want," I say. Instantly I hope he doesn't go for the food making. Realization hits me that I'd just end up in the kitchen with him, freaking out because he's destroying everything.

"Why the fuck should I clean your room?"

"You're living in it too now! Just, all the crap that's laying around... all your empty cans... get a garbage bag downstairs and throw it all away."

To my surprise, he shrugs and goes off into the hallway. This means he's actually gonna make an effort and clean my room. That's cool, seriously.

Just when I'm about to focus on my books again, Grimmjow's voice roars from downstairs.

"Kurosaki! Where the fuck are those bags again?"

I can't help it when a smile forms on my face. "Under the kitchen sink! They're somewhere on the left!"

I hear him mutter a few more curses. Then he comes upstairs again and is indeed carrying a big, black garbage bag. He glances around carefully, screening every surface for things he can throw away. First thing he does is remove some of his empty, crushed soda cans. Then he casually takes my cell phone holder from my bedside table and drops it into the bag.

_Wait. What?_

"What are you doing?" I ask. I have to say that my cell phone holder happens to be this pretty, neon green miniature couch. It's made of a jelly like substance, which is extra fun because it's squeezable.

"Huh?"

He suspects nothing. Of course.

"Why the hell did you throw away my cell phone holder?" I shriek. Seriously, this is getting on my nerves. When finally I can motivate Grimmjow enough to do something useful, it blows up in my face because he just doesn't manage to do something in a _normal_ fashion.

"It's ugly," he says, shrugging. Then he continues grabbing some plastic wrappings. From cookies, I think.

"Grimmjow." My voice is firm and serious. He's pushing things. Knowingly or not, I don't care, he's pissing me off. "Put it back."

He turns around to face me again, sighing deeply as he does. "Do you want me to clean your damn room or not? Huh? Shinigami!"

I suppress my annoyance and scratch my hair, just to do something with my hands that doesn't involve them being in Grimmjow's face. "Clean my room? Yes. Throw away my stuff because you think it's ugly? No. And it's not ugly, by the way, it's convenient."

He gives me a wide smile. A real Grimmjow smile. "Why the fuck would a phone need a chair?"

I have no time for this. I have to study. Like right now, because the night is not endless. _He's driving me insane._

"Look, it's not about the phone or the chair! Just put it back and- and – you know what? Just stop already and go watch some TV or something." I gesture with my hands for him to just stop.

The look on Grimmjow's face is that of hurt; and a bit of shock maybe. Quickly, he pulls himself together and scowls.

"No," he states, not moving an inch. His fingers grasp tightly around the black bag in his hand.

"Just go!" I yell. I guess I sound angrier than I really am. Hell, I never understood what's going on in that blue haired head of his, but the expressions I see on his face right now speak clearly. He looks... hurt. It doesn't take much to know that Grimmjow's an angry person when hurt.

"Please..." I try in a kinder manner, "I need to focus on my schoolwork. Just go..."

A moment of silence passes by - tension obvious in the air.

"Fuck you, Kurosaki." I don't think I've ever heard his voice this serene, this honest – this calm.

Then several things happen at once.

In an instant, Grimmjow gives the garbage bag a final squeeze before he drops it altogether. And then, before I can decently process what the hell is going on, he's opened my freaking window and looks very ready to jump out of it. My heart makes a leap like never before. Thank god for my ribs or it would've jumped straight out.

"Grimmjow!" I scream. Without realizing, I jump up from my desk chair and reach out for him. His foot is already on the window sill. _Oh fuck. Oh fuck._

"DON'T!"

Seeing that my pleas for some damn _reason_ don't seem to reach him – _goddamnit_ – as he casually proceeds to climb the sill, I lunge forward and grab the sleeve of his sweater. Because of the impact, we end up crashing onto the floor. "Ugh!" He falls on his back and it knocks the wind out of him.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND?" I scream in his face, grabbing his collar tightly and shaking it for good measure. I'm panting. So is he.

"You're not a spiritual being anymore, for fuck's sake!" I continue. My heart is still beating wildly. For all I know, he would've been on the ground next to my window right now. _Is he completely out of his damn mind?_

Grimmjow's eyes are wide. Technically, I'm sitting on his chest - knees on the floor and hands at his neck. His breathing is heavy. With one swift move, he has his hands on my upper arms, trying to shake off my grasp.

"Get the hell away from me..." he grunts deeply, eyes peering into mine.

I refuse to let him go and try to shake off his grip. "Do you have _any_ idea what the hell you were doing? You could've seriously injured yourself! Are you completely stupid?"

"Why the _fuck_ would you even care, Shinigami!" he spits out venomously.

At that, I hesitate a little. Grimmjow instantly feels my slacking grip and takes the opportunity to struggle himself free. I end up with my side on the floor with a smack. That's gonna leave a bruise. Not the only one, though. Even if Grimmjow's in a gigai now, he's still strong as hell. His grips are really damn tight. No wonder he can squeeze his soda cans like that.

With some clumsy stumbling, Grimmjow eventually manages to get up. He twists his shoulder and cracks his neck before giving me a final glare, just to stomp out of my room.

"Grimmjow!"

I can practically feel his aggressive presence getting further and further away from me.

"Grimmjow! Wait!" I yell. In spite though, because the next thing I know is that the front door slams shut.

I roll onto my back and sigh deeply, rubbing my face with one hand. What the hell have we gotten into again?

About an hour later, there's still no Grimmjow. I've tried calling him about a hundred times but he doesn't pick up his phone. Real convenient... then you _buy_ a phone for situations like this and it doesn't even make a difference in the end.

I'm pacing, going back and forth, looking out of my window for a sign of blue hair. Fortunately my dad and sisters are away. They really try to make Grimmjow at home in this house. They like him. And now he's gone, possibly in danger. For some obscure reason, I feel responsible. Wait, scratch the 'obscure' reason. I shouldn't have yelled at him like that.

Still, I fail to understand why the hell he would try to jump out of my window. I've always known that Grimmjow Jaegerjaques is out of his mind, but not _that_ out of his mind, and not suicidal in the least of all things.

I sit at my desk again and glance over my books. After trying to read one line, I give up already. This whole situation is sucking out all of my concentration. I can't do this right now. Sighing, I take my phone again and select Grimmjow's name. Call this person? _Yes._

But nothing happens. He doesn't pick up.

What the hell am I supposed to do now? It's been an hour and none of my friends have called yet. I made a deal with them – after Grimmjow took off the first time and ended up at Inoue's place – to call me whenever he shows up on their doorstep. That means he's not there. Then where is he? I could browse all over Karakura if I wanted, but I don't have the goddamn time for this. I have work to do, I have to focus, I have to pass this test.

I feel myself getting pissed again and once more I pick up the phone. Call this person? _Yes._

Nothing.

Throwing my phone onto my desk, I get up with a huff and pace towards the window. It's raining. Not the stormy kind of rain that drenches you in seconds, but still, sufficiently to soak someone when they're out there long enough. I sigh.

_Grimmjow..._

About ten minutes later, I'm out as well. The coat I'm wearing is thick and warm, but rain still manages to make my face and hair moist. I hate that.

In my haste, I hope that at least I've locked the door since no one's home. When my fingers entwine with the keys inside my pocket, I feel relieved. A little. I've got bigger worries right now, anyway. Honestly, I have _no idea_ where Grimmjow could've gone so I decide to do this the old fashion way.

"Grimmjow!"

_Damn fool_.

Every couple of steps, I pause and look around carefully for any signs of him. "Grimmjow!"

I doubt if he could even hear me if he were near, with the rain and wind.

"Grimmjow!"

Nothing.

Where the hell could he be?

I check the streets surrounding my house, the playground, the field nearby where I used to play soccer as a kid, my school and the buildings around it... but nothing. Eventually I end up at Urahara's Shoten. My shoes are so wet that with every step, my socks squish together. Ugh.

I glance at the door in front of me and I hesitate to ring the bell. I'm sure Urahara wouldn't tell on me, but still, I don't like that fellow Shinigami know that I lost Grimmjow, _again_.

_"He cannot get out of his gigai, Ichigo. If things would get out of hand, you can handle him easily. And besides, if he would form any threat to Soul Society, he will be executed. He knows that."_

_"Alright..." I nearly whisper. "But if I can't handle it anymore, promise me that you'll take him in again, even if it's just for an hour so I can cool off. I mean, do you even know this guy? He's... difficult."_

I remember the conversation we had when Grimmjow was first appointed to my care. At that time, it seemed like a good back up plan, to be sure that Urahara would take him in again in emergencies, but now... somehow... it feels like admitting defeat. Grimmjow's difficult, yeah, but I should be able to handle this.

"Ichigo?"

Oh great. This guy knows everything. Even that I'm out in the rain, in front of his door. He might as well remove his door bell.

"Urahara-san," I greet him.

"Trouble, Ichigo?" he asks, opening his fan and waving it in front of his face. I can tell he's hiding a smile behind that thing.

I sigh quietly. "Urahara-san, I... Grimmjow's gone and I can't find him." There, I said it.

A short silence follows. Urahara might be one of the most capable people I know but even he doesn't have an answer to everything. He puts the fan down.

"Would you like to come in?" he asks kindly.

I just stand there, not knowing what to do. "I don't know... it's raining... and he's out there, you know? And it's dark... He doesn't know his way around the town very well yet, so he might get lost..."

"Alright, Ichigo." This man is the definition of calm. "Where do you think he'd go?"

I sigh. "I've checked all the places I could think of; school, the playground, the soccer field... I've been out here for a freaking hour. He's nowhere to be seen, not even at my friends' places."

"Hmm," he contemplates, "perhaps you are looking in the wrong places."

What he says sounds like a conclusion, a truth.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" This is not the time for this weird guy to get all philosophical. "Is that a riddle or something?" I ask, pissed off.

Urahara gives me a smile. "It's not like he hasn't been in town before all this, am I right?" he asks, "I think you've had some business out here before."

_Our first fight_.

"You mean where we first fought?"

"Who knows..." he says, "If I'd be out on a night like this, I'd prefer a familiar place."

I take my hands out of my pockets to pull the hood of my coat further over my head. "Thanks, Urahara-san!" I yell, already walking away from the Shoten.

"Ichigo!"

I turn.

"I'm glad you're getting along."

With that, he closes the door.

_What the hell's that supposed to mean?_

_

* * *

_

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
I'm sorry for taking longer to update but the academic year has started again and I've got a load of work and training ahead of me._

_I wonder where I should take this story.  
_


	10. Of knowing my enemy

**"_Of knowing my enemy"_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
Feedback is highly appreciated!_

_I am sorry for the long wait. Unfortunately my exams have started so I have little time to write due to studying. This chapter was also very difficult to write for an unknown reason._

* * *

_"I'm glad you're getting along."  
_

Urahara can say whatever he wants but I don't feel like Grimmjow and I are getting along at this particular moment. I think that _if_ we were getting along, I wouldn't be out in this damned weather looking for him, since he's run away. As I'm pacing towards the place where we first fought I try to recollect why we got into this mess. Oh yeah... Grimmjow was bored. I got sick of him interrupting my work and somehow we ended up yelling at each other, to the point where Grimmjow tried to jump out of my window. I panicked and... I guess I screamed my soul out in his face. Then he took off.

I feel stupid. Like a parent looking for a lost child or a man trying to find his lost wife. It feels like I'm responsible; like it's my fault.

Suddenly my school work comes to mind again and I wince. Hopefully, I'll track down Grimmjow soon enough so I can have _some_ sleep tonight.

"Grimmjow!"

This is insane.

"Grimmjow!"

I'm almost there.

No scars are left on the streets. No more testimonies that once, we fought here as enemies. I remember this was one of my first encounters with Espada. I was scared shitless. When Grimmjow impaled Rukia... I don't even want to think about it anymore. Then Shinji butted in and kicked Grimmjow's ass by firing a cero in his face. I remember seeing Ulquiorra's face for the first time when he stopped the Sexta from becoming Pantera.

So many memories – horrible memories – and yet, here I am, running through the rain trying to find the former Espada. I keep telling myself that I don't give a damn about him but merely about my responsibility given by Soul Society. I wouldn't blame anyone for telling me I'm going insane.

I gaze around and scan the abandoned streets for any signs of Grimmjow. He's not here. I sigh and rub a hand over my face. A feeling in my gut sends me towards one of the high buildings around. I take the flight of stairs towards the roof. The heavy metal door that leads to the outside discourages me from going out once more but I fight my urge to stay inside – where it's dry and warm. I open the door and the rain hits my skin again.

Somehow I made the right decision because there he is.

Any person would've thought he were relaxing in the sun – if it hadn't been for the pouring rain and dark skies - lying flat on his back with his arms under his head. Eyes closed, face lifted towards the downpour. His hair is a blue mess, strands sticking down his face.

I wonder what the hell is wrong with him. For a moment I ask myself if maybe he's unconscious, but then I realize that no person falls on the ground in this position. Being there, spread out in the rain on a wet roof as if he's enjoying himself; anything but fitting with his catlike nature.

"Grimmjow!" I yell, pacing towards him. He doesn't react, doesn't even look at me. "Hey, Grimmjow!"

Hesitating, I crouch on the ground next to him. My hand touches the wet concrete of the roof we're on. Everything smells like wet stone. Everything _is_ wet stone. "Grimmjow?"

A silent pause.

"Leave me alone, Kurosaki."

His voice is barely audible. He's not yelling, not scowling. Instead, I can't make anything from the tone of his voice. He sounds tired, like it wouldn't even matter if he raised his voice at me.

"What are you doing?" I ask. It's hard to keep myself from kicking his ass and dragging him home. Imagine how hard I'm trying not to raise my own voice. I can't hear it due to the rain, but I see his chest going down as he sighs.

"Just go," he says.

Without thinking any further, I promptly bend over and lie down next to him, arms behind my head. I can instantly feel the rain water finding its way underneath my coat and shirt. I wince slightly against the cold. From the corner of my eye, I see that Grimmjow turns his head towards me.

"Kurosaki. What are you doing?" he asks, a scowling tone having entered his voice again.

"Nothing." I shrug.

He scoffs. "You're crazy in the head..." he mumbles.

Now my shirt, sweater, coat, scarf, pants, shoes and socks are officially soaked. However, a certain calmness washes over me. Fuck tomorrow's test. This is more urgent. This is my responsibility. I make something clear to myself, though; Grimmjow is not a friend of mine. Our 'partnership' does _not_ compare in the least to what I have with Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Chad or Uryu. With Grimmjow, things are difficult and weird and troublesome. I'm on my back in the godforsaken rain, on a godforsaken rooftop. No friend of mine would do this to me.

Nonetheless, I realize once more that Grimmjow was appointed to my care by Soul Society. I am responsible for him. It is my duty to teach him the ways in the Human World so he can survive on his own someday, to live a humble life in spite of his spiritual essence - like my friends and I do as well. We manage, and it's my duty to make him manage too.

"Grimmjow?" I ask quietly. The wind blows hard and if he'd been any further, my voice would've faded in the wind, but we're close.

"Hm?"

I turn to face him. His blue eyes are squinting to protect them from the splattering rain.

"I'm sorry for getting mad," I say, "I panicked and... I didn't mean to... make you leave, okay?"

For a moment neither of us moves nor speaks. Then he shrugs.

"It's not like I wanted to kill myself or something..."

I think I get it. If I'm right, it was just a mistake.

"Confused this world and the next, didn't you?" I ask.

He closes his eyes and faces the dark skies once more. The corners of his mouth sourly go down a bit. I take that as a yes.

"It's not all that weird, you know..." I say, "You've been a Hollow your whole life. I wouldn't find it easy adjusting to a gigai either, Grimmjow."

"Yeah, well, sorry for fucking up! I'd like to see how you'd do with suddenly being put in a worthless body like this one! I can't even jump out of a fucking window without getting hurt. Did you ever see me taking the fucking stairs in Hueco Mundo? Do you think any of us ever climbed those buildings? No! Because they were all high as _fuck_ and we all jumped or flew. And you know what? I don't see why _the fuck_ you should even care! Remember that it was you who-"

"I'm responsible."

My interruption renders him quite speechless.

"I was responsible since the moment I decided to get you out of there. I feel like I've been responsible ever since. Soul Society sees me responsible too. I hope you can understand that I'd feel like a shitty caretaker if I'd let you jump out of my window."

The soggy rustling of Grimmjow's clothing catches my attention. I turn my head towards him and - squinting through the rain - I can see he's getting up. Once he stands, I can see he's soaked to the bone just like I am. Lazily he puts his hands in the pockets of his pants and he starts to walk away from me. A few meters before the edge of the building he stops. He's made quite clear to me that his intentions of jumping out of my window were never suicidal in any way, but my heart still makes a small leap when I see him that close to the edge. He's not exactly the careful type of person.

I get up myself. "Let's go home, Grimmjow."

With a feral, loud roar and his teeth bared, Grimmjow suddenly spurts at me in an amazing speed. In less than a second, he lunges at me and tackles me to the ground. Everything happens so fast I can hardly process, but I think we landed on _my_ hip as the pain quickly rises there. I wince. "What the hell are y-"

"THIS..." he pants, "IS NOT MY HOME SHINIGAMI!" His hand is clenched around my collar.

I flinch. This is the Sexta Espada all over again.

Instinctively, I try to get him off me but his grip is tight. Without thinking I ball my fist, retract my arm only to send it flying forward, punching him square in the jaw. I expect him to wince but shrug it off like he always did in the past. However, his reaction is true to his human form. Probably for the first time in his life, he loses his balance and ends up on the ground next to me, one hand supporting his body and the other pressed to his jaw. The curses that silently escape from his mouth are colorful to say the least. I can tell he's in pain.

"Motherf..." he moans.

Using this opportunity to avoid an escalating fight, I manage to get up and take a few steps backwards. I rub my still hurting hipbone.

"I don't care what you have to say about it, Grimmjow. From now on, it is your goddamn home so deal with it," I say firmly. "Now get up and come with me."

"Fuck you!" he grunts, still holding the side of his face. "You think you can subdue me with a punch in the face? Ha!"

I sigh deeply. "Grimmjow, what the hell is wrong with you?" I ask, the tone in my voice serious. A remark about 'this time of the month?' seems funny for a moment, but not appropriate in the least since I don't feel like getting killed tonight.

With a loud groan, he manages to get up. Standing hunched over with one hand supporting on his knees and the other against his face, he spits a clot of blood on the ground. The rain turns it into bloody streak against the grey concrete. "Nothing's wrong with me, Shinigami.." he groans.

"You've been acting different. Volatile. If you don't wanna come home you might at least tell me what the hell's going on," I say. I'm doing my best not to get angry but seriously, he's not making any sense.

"Are you _stupid_, Shinigami?" he asks, frowning even deeper.

"What?" I can't make sense out of him anymore. He's really pushing it.

"Well, what do you _think_? I think it's pretty _damn obvious_ that I hate this place!"

_Wait. What? Is this why he's been so unreasonable today?_

"I thought you ran off because I got angry?"

Slowly, he lets out a deep sigh and takes a few steps towards me. His blue hair is sticking to his head and face because he's drenched to the bone, just like me. "You know what?" he asks, his tone tired again, like things don't even matter anymore.

Hesitating, I stand my ground as he approaches.

"What?" I ask. The silence unnerves me.

"You know damn well I can never fit in this place, Shinigami," he states. His voice in honest. He's not making this up. This is something that's been brooding inside for quite some time if you ask me.

I sigh and run a wet hand through my equally wet hair. "Oh come on... Don't give up on this, Grimmjow," I say, relieved that apparently, he doesn't plan to punch or tackle me any time soon. "Where the hell does this come from?"

I am perplexed.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques is capable of feeling. And out of all feelings, he's being _insecure_. Insecure. Doubtful. Thinking about quitting. From all things, I have never associated these with the Sexta Espada.

He just stands there – an angry scowl on his face - gazing at the ground.

"Just come home already..." I press. Almost, I'm tempted to hold out my hand but I figure he would find that immensely gay. "Let's talk on the way back, alright?"

_Just come along. Come along. Come along. Please._

"Yeah... I guess," he murmurs, roughly putting his hands in his pockets.

"Alright, let's get out of this damn rain."

While we go towards the metal door that closes us off from the inside of the building, I ponder. Grimmjow and I seriously need to find better ways to communicate. If something's bothering him, he might as well tell me instead of bothering me the whole freaking day, just to have me lash out at him. But I guess the same goes for me. I probably shouldn't have told him to fuck off because he was interrupting my studies. Just should've asked him nicely to cut me some slack, I guess.

When we leave the building the wind – sending raindrops in my face – and cold hit me again and _god_ I'll be happy to get home.

"So..." I start, attempting a civil conversation with Grimmjow about _how he's feeling_. This is more than just weird. It is alien. "Why do you think you won't fit in this world, huh?"

He shrugs, face not moving a muscle. His gaze is pointed towards the ground to avoid rain getting in his eyes. "Don't know."

"Did something happen... or something?" I ask.

"Fuck no," he starts "but that doesn't mean I like all this shit. Everything's so complicated here."

I let out a small sigh. There's no denying that. "I know, sometimes I miss Soul Society as well..."

"Huh? I don't miss your damn Soul Society! Hueco Mundo, smartass," he yells, looking at me like I'm retarded.

_Dense bastard._

"I just don't fucking belong here!" he continues, "and I was never given a damn choice either!"

He gives me a fixed glare. _Touché._

"Then what was I supposed to do? Leave you out there to die?" I ask, gesturing wildly with my hands. "You should've seen yourself. It was not a pretty sight, Grimmjow. And _that_'s exactly what makes us different. I couldn't leave you out there out of pity. But I bet you would've cut my throat any time..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" he interrupts, "You don't know that, so shut up."

As if he wouldn't have.

"Just... give yourself some time to adjust here, alright? No one expects it to be easy."

"Renji sure likes it here..." he mutters under his breath.

"Renji? Look, don't compare yourself to Renji... he's free to go back to Soul Society whenever he fancies it – you don't have that option. You have to stick through all the shit as well."

"Hm." He shrugs.

"Just take your time, Grimmjow."

"You make it sound like I have all the fucking time in the world," he grunts. Obviously, he doesn't agree.

"... Don't you?" I ask doubtfully. Soul Society never told me about any deadlines and I can't imagine Grimmjow having an important date in the near future either.

"Fuck no!" he yells in my face. "You think I wanna spend the rest of eternity here? Living off your back like I fucking owe you something?"

_Ah. There it is._

Realization hits me that - finally - I am hearing the true reason behind Grimmjow frustration and volatile behavior. "Don't worry, you don't owe me anything," I assure him.

"Damn right I don't! But I'm still living in your house, and eating your food, and wearing and using all your shit!"

We've stopped walking. Grimmjow's very close again, shouting in my face and making wild gestures with his arms and hands. I notice his jaw's beginning to bruise a little. Hopefully my dad won't notice or else he'll kick my ass.

"True. But just deal with it. I get pissed sometimes because you're an asshole but just deal with it," I say casually, "I was given responsibility over you by Soul Society and I don't plan to neglect my duties, so deal with it. End of story."

"Hmpf..." he grunts, shoving his hands into his pockets again. Like a sulking child, he continues to walk towards my place. I roll my eyes but follow quickly.

"Grimmjow."

He turns his head when I don't continue what I'm about to say. "What?" he asks annoyed.

"You're not working under Aizen anymore. We're not enemies anymore either, remember? So don't be so frustrated with yourself just because you're in _my_ house and using _my_ stuff. I understand that you don't like me but yeah... there's nothing we can do about that."

I continue my pace even when he slows down.

"Kurosaki..." he mutters quietly, "I don't know what happened tonight."

His confession is honest. I guess this must be an Espada's way to apologize. Grimmjow's way to apologize. I wave it away with a cold hand. "Don't worry about it. Let's go home."

"Yeah," Grimmjow murmurs.

I'm tempted to smile. "Home, right? I said _home_. Can you deal with that?" I tease.

"Yeah, yeah," he grunts. "Asshole."

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
I'm sorry for taking longer to update but the academic year has started again and I've got a load of work and training ahead of me._

_I don't really like this chapter._


	11. Of sickness and health

**"_Of sickness and health"_**

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
I'm so happy to see that some people are really following this!_

_An earlier update since I had this chapter stashed on my laptop already. This (medical business) is my field of work and thus a very familiar subject to write about. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it._

* * *

  


"Grimmjow?"

It takes a while before he turns his head towards me. "Hm?"

"Are you sick?"

He scoffs and turns his head to lie down on his mattress again. Grimmjow's been spending most of his day there, playing Tetris on his cell phone. I think he caught a cold a few days ago, when he stormed off into the rain. The weather's been shitty lately and he doesn't care for a decent jacket, especially when he's running away. With rain and cold wind combined, he was bound to get under the weather sooner or later. I noticed he didn't look very good yesterday evening, pale and tired, and he hasn't improved. The opposite would be true, in fact.

"Course not," I hear him mumble. His fit of hoarse coughing tells me otherwise.

I decide to cut him some slack, for now, and turn around in my chair again to face my homework. Math... I feel optimistic already. I passed my History test though. The one I had the day after we fought? I'd only slept like two hours but somehow I passed.

* * *

A few hours later we're hanging on the couch, watching a movie. It's been playing for half an hour or so but I have this feeling that Grimmjow isn't paying any attention. He hasn't touched the chips either, which are normally devoured in a matter of seconds. He's even more slumped on the couch than usual. And his coughing; damn, that's one bad cold he's got.

_Wait._ Am I genuinely worrying about him?

When did I start caring so much anyway?

When did I start feeling responsible? Not responsible as in 'responsible for keeping him in control', but as in 'responsible for his _well being_'. I've told him that we're not enemies anymore, not on my part anyway, but I don't see us as friends either. More like two people – if you could call us people that is – who ended up in a very weird situation together but managed to make something okay from it. Maybe I'm wrong.

"Are you alright?" I ask after hesitating.

The only sound he makes is a pathetic little moan before breaking off into a bad coughing fit once more.

"Do you want something to drink?" I try to ask kindly.

I'm really minding my words here. I mean, I'm used to Grimmjow barking insults at me whenever I say something that riles him up. Sometimes I even enjoy doing this on purpose. It makes my life less boring. But when it comes to his well being, he's over the top macho. He thinks getting sick is only for the weak, and thus would do everything to not be seen that way. It's pathetic, really.

For me, growing up with my dad working in the clinic, it's the most natural thing. I don't think it makes anyone look weak at all, only more human – if anything. I mean, humans get colds all the time. But still, I'm minding my words and trying not to give him too sympathetic glances. He'd only get pissed off and I don't think he should be running off in the rain in his condition.

Surprisingly, he nods at my offer to get him a drink and I go to the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water.

I get back and hand it to him. Sitting down on the couch, I grab some chips and stuff them in my mouth. Usually I have to fight for snacks. I look at him from the corner of my eye and notice he positively looks like shit now. I feel sorry for him, seriously. It might have been his own decision to take off into the rainy weather without decent clothing but it were the both of us fighting so yeah, I feel a pang of guilt.

"Stop looking at me, Shinigami, you're not my mother," he says roughly, giving me the eye.

I'm tempted to smile. "You don't have a mother, Grimmjow."

"Neither do you, Kurosaki."

Touché. I give him that.

"Yeah, well at least I _had_ a mother who taught me to take care of myself."

I expect him to reply with another snide remark, but instead he turns his glare towards the screen again, lets out a congested sigh but doesn't say anything.

"Grimmjow, you're in a gigai now, which means you're practically human, and humans do get sick," I say. "It's completely natural."

I know he's all touchy about it, but it's my responsibility to get him adjusted to his human life, and I can't just let this slip.

"Grimmjow."

No reply. He's ignoring me. Great. I lean back into the couch like he's doing. He laps into another coughing fit again, and it takes a while before it passes. I sigh. This is ridiculous.

"You're being childish." I scoff.

And with that, he throws me a glare and bares his teeth, and promptly stands up and goes upstairs.

"Hey!" I yell, "Grimmjow!"

I hear his feet stomping on the stairs. "I'm tired. Going to sleep," he states dryly.

"Grimmjow!"

He doesn't reply though, and a few seconds later I hear my bedroom door slammed shut. The silence that follows is heavy with tension.

_Jeez._

"Ichigo?" calls Yuzu's voice. She's standing in the living room, a couple of steps away from me, fidgeting with her fingers.

I smile at her and pat the empty space Grimmjow left beside me. Happily, she comes to sit next to me and leans into my side.

"Ichigo... I think Grimmjow is sick," she says quietly. "Will he be okay?"

Such a sweet little girl my sister is. Karin and Yuzu both are, really, but Yuzu's always been the sweet, sensitive type who tries to take care of everyone all the time. If anyone's feeling down in this home, it won't go unnoticed passed Yuzu. Sometimes she reminds me of Inoue. Yuzu's cooking is way better, though.

"He's sleeping. He'll be fine," I say, pausing for a moment to let out a frustrated sigh. I run a hand through my hair, leaving it in wild locks. "He's just being his stubborn self again."

"Just like you, Ichi-ni!" she giggles and gives me a playful push.

"Yeah," I say, leaning my head on the back of the couch, "I guess I am too sometimes. But I'm not stupid. At least I take care of myself when I get sick, right?" I say and pat her on the head.

"Hm!" she nods. "But maybe he's scared..."

_Huh?_

"What do you mean, Yuzu?"

"You know... Daddy told me he used to be like a shinigami but Urahara-san made him human. And daddy said that he's weird sometimes because he wasn't human before so he doesn't know how to be like us... so maybe he's just scared cause he's never been sick before either... and daddy also said that you should take care of him." she explains quietly.

Damn. She's got a lot of insight for her age. Perhaps she's right. As for as I know, shinigami don't get sick indeed... Ukitake is the only ill shinigami I know. And I don't think Espada could get sick either. I don't think Aizen would've wanted anything like that to interfere with their missions.

"Maybe you're right, Yuzu. I guess I'll go upstairs too and check on him. I'm feeling tired, anyway."

She smiles warmly and snuggles into my side. "Me too. I should be in bed already..." she confesses quietly.

"Yeah, I was wondering why you were still up!" I say playfully. I mess up her hair.

So we both go upstairs and I put her in bed before going to my own bedroom. I'll be glad to be in bed myself. School's been a pain this week and I've got a lot of work to do this weekend. But right now sleep goes before work. Tomorrow's Saturday, at last.

When I enter my bedroom, I find Grimmjow already asleep. I can tell by his breathing pattern.

Quietly, I change and put on a pair of sweatpants and crawl into bed myself. Just when I turn off the bedside lamp, Grimmjow's coughing again and I wonder if I'll be able to get some sleep tonight.

* * *

I don't know what godforsaken time it is, but when I'm suddenly pulled out of sleep I just know it's nowhere near morning yet. Blearily I open my eyes and try to orientate myself. I roll over to face the other side of my room and instantly know where all the commotion's coming from. It's my dear roommate Grimmjow who sits up, hunched over and pulling my sheets. I want to punch him for waking me up like this, till I realize he's coughing his lungs out and apparently trying to get my attention. I can tell he's hurting.

"Dude..." I murmur sleepily, "Are you alright?"

He's not able to reply though, and so I wait for the fit to pass.

"Jeez... It's..." I say, turning to read my alarm clock, "It's four in the morning, man."

He manages to recover but he's left panting harshly.

"Ichigo..." he rasps, eyes wide and fingers still clutching my sheets.

_Even amidst my sleep induced disorientation, I note this is the first time he's used my first name._

"I don't feel good..." he says pathetically.

Now I'm alarmed. If it were any other person, I'd be pissed for being woken up just to hear the obvious, but this is Grimmjow we're talking about. He's _always_ feeling good. And if he weren't, hell would freeze over before he'd admit it. He has my full attention now.

"Why? What's wrong?"

He coughs some more before he can continue. "Don't know... I feel like shit. Please..." he whines, shivering and hugging himself.

Instantly I'm throwing my sheets off and I find myself on his mattress in a matter of seconds. I sit on my knees before him and lift my hand to touch his forehead. He flinches a bit, but I'm not hesitating. He's obviously feeling shitty enough to let me close like this. Hell, I even heard him say 'please', I think.

"What are you doing?" he asks weakly.

"I was feeling your temperature. Your skin is very warm so it means you have a fever."

He looks at me with a questioning gaze coming from between half closed eyelids. "What?"

I resist the urge to sigh in frustration and decide to try a different approach. He doesn't seem interested in what's going on, merely in how it's gonna go away.

"Lay down again, Grimmjow, and remove some sheets."

He groans and leans against my bed some more. "No... it's so cold in here," he says, refraining to hugging himself some more. His eyes are watery and he seems to swallow with difficulty.

"Where does it hurt?" I ask.

He gives me a quick gaze and then puts his fingers to his neck. "Here...", he says, then his hand moving to the side of his ribs, "and here..."

Sore throat, chest pains.

"And my head hurts like hell too," he says. He seems to be out of places to point at and sighs deeply, which only sets off another chain of coughing that causes his shoulders to shake.

"I'll get some water," I say, already getting up. Then suddenly, Grimmjow lunges at me and grabs me by the pants. He's looking very pitiful now, hanging at my leg like a kid that wants to go back to the toy store.

"No!" he yells, which only seems to upset his lungs, because not a second later, he's hunched over again, coughs wracking his body.

"Don't go..." he says very quietly when he recovers. "Don't let me fucking die here, man..."

He sounds serious. For real. I smile widely. "You're not gonna die, Grimmjow. Not from a stupid cold. Some water will do you good. I'll be right back," I say.

So I drag my tired ass to the bathroom for some water and fetch him a painkiller on the way back.

"Here. It will help with the pain and fever."

He takes the pill and swallows it without objections.

"Now... think you can go back to sleep?" I ask.

He nods weakly and gets back under his blankets.

"Try not to get too warm under your covers, that will only make the fever worse," I say.

I'm answered with a barely noticeable shake of his head. Fine then. I walk around his mattress and get in my own bed too. I turn off the light again and get comfortable in my sheets.

"Night, Grimmjow. Feel better," I murmur from underneath my warm nest of blankets.

"Night, Ichigo."

_Even amidst my sleepy slumber, I notice this is the second time he's called me by my first name._

* * *

When I wake up the next time, I have no clue what time it is. Might be morning already, might still be night as well. All I know is that my awakening is a lot more sudden and unpleasant then previously. One second I'm sleeping peacefully, the next I'm being shaken awake very roughly by Grimmjow. And he's _yelling_ at me, on top of all things.

"Kurosaki!" he demands. "Ichigo..."

My hand automatically reaches out from underneath the covers to stop him from shaking me. I manage to grab his wrist and shove it away. "What?" I whine sleepily.

"I don't feel good..." he says, his voice sounding weird and restricted.

I decide my good friend here might be in real need of assistance again, due to his lack of experience with an ill body.

"What's wrong?" I ask. My voice is still thick with sleep and I'm not sure if I would've understood my own question if I were him.

"I don't feel good..." he says again. I notice he's panting like a dog.

"What's up?" I ask, trying to sound more serious than sleepy. I am serious; really, he looks like he's ready to keel over any second.

He swallows. "Remember when we went out... and drank all the booze?" he blurts out very fast and coughs a little.

With that, he's got my senses at their max again.

"Shit!" I curse, "Wait here!"

Not a second later, I land on the floor after jumping out of my bed. The cold embraces my body but I don't give a damn if it means preventing my room from getting splattered with vomit. I _hate_ vomit. I don't know how I manage, but after a few leaps I'm in the bathroom, nearly tearing off the handle of the cabinet under the sink, to pull out whatever bucket I come across. As if by a miracle, I get back just in time and almost shove the bucket in Grimmjow's face.

Panting heavily, I say "I want... anything that comes out of your mouth in... in that bucket."

He looks at me with a pitiful, questioning gaze – _what the hell are you talking about _- but then his eyes go wide and he dry heaves. As fast as I can, I turn around and look away. I don't care if it makes me a pussy, but I can't stand watching people vomit. It makes me feel sick myself. Not five seconds later, it's not dry heaving he's doing anymore but full blown _puking_ and just from the sound, I feel my own stomach turning a bit. I feel bad for Grimmjow, though. Honestly.

He seems to be okay again after a couple of retches, but when he starts moving the bucket away from him I push it back. I only touch it with one finger though. He doesn't even object and keeps it in place. I notice his eyes are teary and red.

"Here," I say quietly, handing him the glass of water.

"I hate this..." I hear him say. His voice is still weird and pitiful. "I feel like a fucking loser..."

Ah. I'm stunned. This must be Grimmjow's fever talking. I wave his remark away with my hand.

"No, you're not. Do you have any idea how many times I've been in your situation? Humans get sick all the time when they grow up, especially when they're kids. This is just life kicking you in the shin for managing to get passed growing up. You should feel lucky."

Then Grimmjow promptly throws up the rest of his dinner, or what's left of it. I think that maybe I shouldn't have said the part about feeling lucky.

"I'm okay now..." he says when he's done.

I give him a tissue to wipe his mouth. On top of everything, his lungs protest again and he falls in a coughing fit. I'm getting my dad to see him tomorrow, for sure. He might have been my enemy once, but I don't wish this upon him. And I don't think it's just a cold either. I'm guessing a bad case of the flu.

"Try to go to sleep again. I will uh... empty this and I'll leave it next to you, just in case."

He nods and sinks back against his pillow. With some labored pulling and messing with the sheets, he manages to get comfortable. I quickly empty the bucket in the bathroom and flush its contents away. Before I put it back in my room I rinse it with some water. By the time I'm in my bed – exhausted myself, especially after getting woken up again – I expect my neighboring friend here to be already asleep. But apparently I'm wrong.

"Kurosaki?" he murmurs from underneath a bundle.

"Hmm?" I grunt. I'm too tired and already too sleepy to form words, let alone a sentence.

"Thank you..."

_Thank you..._

I think hell just froze over.

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!  
_


	12. Of ailing and recovering

"_**Of ailing and recovering"**_

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship fanfiction._

_Hello, all. This is the first time I'm writing Ichigo and Grimmjow, and the first time I'm making an attempt at First Person POV. No beta. Feel free to be critical in reviews.  
I'm so happy to see that some people are really following this!_

_Before continuing the story, I'd like to sincerely apologize for the long wait. I've received many reviews and alerts with some people asking when the chapter was gonna be up. Unfortunately, I've had exams and I spent my days studying from 8 in the morning till 2 in the night. I didn't even have the time to study properly, let alone to eat, sleep or write. And after that I've been doing hospital training for weeks, so that took up most of my time as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue now that I have classes again! I hope you understand! Enjoy the chapter.  
_**  
"Everybody's gotta learn sometime..." - Beck**

* * *

The next day I wake around noon. Although I've slept many hours, I feel weary. I guess it's because I was frequently pulled out of sleep during the night. My room feels messy and there is a sick smell hanging around. I roll around to face Grimmjow. He's still sound asleep, but he doesn't look comfortable as he's got a frown on his face. He's wrapped up in a bunch of sheets. I can see a fierce blush on his cheeks and a sheen of sweat on his forehead. His fever obviously hasn't receded yet. I take a quick glance at the bucket next to him and note that - fortunately - he hasn't been sick anymore. The sound of his breathing is heavy and labored though.

I get out of bed carefully because I don't want to wake him yet. From my closet, I grab a random shirt and put it on before going downstairs for breakfast.

The hallway smells of something tasty cooking.

"Morning, Ichigo!" my dad yells enthusiastically. I groan something back while I get seated at the table. Yuzu shoves a plate with eggs in front of me.

"Thanks, Yuzu," I mumble sleepily.

"Where is Grimmjow, son?" dad asks cheerfully. His voice is way too loud and enthusiastic so early on the day. Alright, maybe it's noon already but for me, it still feels like morning since I just got out of bed.

"Grimmjow's sick," I mutter as I poke the egg on my plate.

I see that Yuzu and Karin cast each other a careful glance. "Is he alright?" Yuzu asks, worry in her voice.

"He'll be okay, bad case of the flu I think..." I explain. Then I turn towards my dad. "Could you have a look at him later, dad? I think he needs medication."

Dad crosses his elbows, frowns and leans further towards me. "What's wrong, son? I just got home yesterday evening. You were already in bed."

"He's had this cold for a few days, and yesterday he got a really bad cough. Last night he puked and he's got a fever too."

"Sound like the flu indeed..." dad says, tapping a finger on his chin.

"Yuzu!" Karin exclaims fiercely, "Make something for Grimmjow too! We can bring it upstairs."

Karin is fond of our new housemate. That straightforward, tough, dominant and rather demanding type of personality is something she shares with Grimmjow.

Dad puts a hand on her arm gently. "Keep something aside for him, dear, but leave it in the fridge for a while. He might not be hungry."

While I quickly devour the rest of the eggs dad goes to the clinic to fetch some stuff he'll need to examine Grimmjow. I drink a glass of milk and when I almost choke on it in my haste I wonder why the hell I'm trying to get upstairs again as soon as possible. I know he'll be alright. But then again I'm worried. When you spend every hour of the day with someone – whether you like them or not – they still get to you.

"Come with me, Ichigo," dad says when he walks into the kitchen with his stethoscope hanging around his neck.

We both go upstairs, to my bedroom. Grimmjow's still sound asleep when we come in. Dad looks at me in a matter that urges me to wake him. So I go over to his mattress and nudge it with my foot. I can feel dad's disapproving look on my back.

"Grimmjow. Wake up."

Surprisingly, that is enough to pull him out of his slumber. Lethargically, he stares at me with watery eyes. The distant gaze is enough to tell me he's still having a bad fever.

"Hey there," I say and get down on my knees next to him. Dad does the same. Of course – this is Grimmjow – he's slightly startled by our close presence and attempts to back off a little. When he does, dad reaches out and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. I must admit that my father is a nutjob, but when he's doing what he's good at – being a doctor – he's doing _good_. And he's not one of those distant, elitist doctors; no, he's involved. It's like I'm with a different person.

"How are you feeling?" he asks. I suppose it comforts Grimmjow since he relaxes again and lets himself be pressed against the pillows.

He tries to say something but merely an odd, phlegmy sound comes out so he clears his throat, only to break off into a coughing fit. A particularly bad one that is. Dad backs off to give him some room and gestures for me to do the same. It's normal, you know; this is just the result from a night of sleep. It all comes out in the morning. He's clearly in pain, yeah, but he'll be fine.

While Grimmjow's busy heaving up his lungs through his mouth, I get up and go to the bathroom to get him some water. Into the background I hear dad telling him to sit up. I hurry back to my bedroom and hand him the glass.

It seems to help; and leaves him panting. "Fuck..." he manages to say.

I smile. Trust him to start the day _cursing_.

"How are you feeling?" dad asks again. "Ichigo told me you're sick. I brought some equipment to examine your condition."

"Shit... Feeling like shit," Grimmjow answers, rubbing his nose with his hand. "I never had this before."

So dad performs a quick clinical exam; listens to his heart and lungs with a stethoscope, takes his temperature, probes his abdomen, the works. Grimmjow casts him doubtful glances the whole time. I always thought Aizen would've experimented on them quite a lot since the Espada were his own creation, but now that I see him like this, he doesn't seem familiar with being probed and prodded at all.

"You've got the flu, Grimmjow," dad says. It sounds like a verdict.

Shit. This means he'll be stuck in bed for a few days at least.

"Is this bad?" Grimmjow asks hoarsely, albeit a bit hesitant, as if my dad might be about to give him a really bad prognosis.

Instead, my dad waves it off. "You'll be fine. Give it a few days; two weeks at most."

"Two weeks?" the ex-Espada brings out, sighing deeply afterwards. He rubs his forehead and winces.

"That's... That sucks. I can't be like this for two weeks!" he semi-shouts, provoking another coughing fit. I wince at the sound of him.

"Ichigo." My dad snaps me out of my compassion.

"I think it's better if he stays in your bed for the time being."

_Wait. What?_

"What?"

"It will be more comfortable. Plus it'll be easier to leave food and water on your bedside table. I don't trust either one of you not to trip over a glass of water on the floor, ha!" dad exclaims. He laughs at what he says. He often does that, mostly when it's completely uncalled for. Hah.

Over the years I've learned that it won't matter how much I try to argue – dad's not gonna give up. Besides, he seems quite fond of Grimmjow. So I settle with sleeping on the floor – alright, a mattress _on_ the floor – and part from my bed for the coming days. I sure hope Grimmjow gets better soon.

Dad seems done here as he picks up his stuff. "Ichigo," he says, quite urgent again.

I follow him towards the stairs and we pause in the doorway. "If he gets worse, I'm calling Kisuke. I'm not specialized in gigai like he is."

I nod. Now that he mentions it, I realize that I've never thought about this issue before. Would it be different for gigai to get sick? Would it be easier to cure an illness? It would be an interesting subject to think about but I discourage myself from doing so since any doom scenarios concerning my roommate – and thus my bed – aren't welcome at this particular moment.

"I expect you to take care of him, Ichigo. He's unfamiliar with all this so be patient."

"I know," I point out. "I know."

"Keep an eye on him, alright?" dad says, starting to walk down the stairs.

"Are you going to Soul Society or something?" I ask.

"Yeah. For a few days only, if we're lucky. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. If anything happens, go to Kisuke. He'll know what to do."

Great. Now I have responsibility over Karin, Yuzu _and_ a bedridden Grimmjow. I hope he's not gonna be demanding.

* * *

So it turns out that Grimmjow _is_ a rather demanding sick person. While I sit at my desk, working for school, he's already installed in my bed. Water is left to become lukewarm on my bedside table and a piece of toast is probably rotting away there as it is, next to the box of painkillers and nausea suppressants. Just like dad told Karin and Yuzu this morning, Grimmjow's not eating.

Wait. Let me correct myself. He's not a demanding sick person in the literal way, but he unintentionally demands my attention. I feel bad for saying this but he's coughing and panting the _whole_ time – which is kind of annoying once you focus on it. Also, he doesn't seem to get comfortable in my bed. It's probably because of his fever, but he's moving around constantly, flexing and stretching his legs and repositioning himself.

"Ungh..."

He moans a lot too.

"Grimmjow?" I ask quietly, almost breaking off a pencil point on my notes.

He doesn't reply but I hear a lot of shifting again so I figure he's turning towards me.

"Grimmjow?"

"What?" he brings out, voice still sounding like shit. His breath comes out in pants. Again, because of the fever. Elevated heart rate, elevated breathing frequency, confusion, pain of the muscles and joints; the works. He's obviously going through it right now.

"You okay?"

If my dad tells me to take care of him, that's what I have to do. I tell myself I'm not being overly worried. Although I must admit that I'm feeling kind of uncomfortable, just a little bit, by all this. While Grimmjow's obviously invading my personal space, I feel like I'm invading his too – for asking if he's okay this frequently and having to take care of his needs like an owner does with a pet. And I see him like _this_, groaning and clearly going through some kind of suffering; which just doesn't fit with the image I have of him. He's always so _there_, full of energy and willpower, dominance and determination.

He shrugs. He stares at the ceiling.

"Why don't you eat something?"

It takes a while to process, apparently, but he answers eventually. "Not hungry."

I figure that maybe Grimmjow is like a cat. When animals are sick, they are prone to leave their food aside because they feel it's better for them. Us humans keep on stuffing ourselves no matter what happens, with unpleasant consequences from time to time.

Grimmjow breaks off in a particularly bad, painful sounding coughing fit. I try to focus on my books and on tapping my pencil, but I can't take my mind off him and after a while I wonder if he's ever gonna stop and catch his breath. I find myself standing up from my chair and shoving the glass of water to him. He just remains there as he is, one hand clutching his chest, the other one in front of his mouth – he did learn some manners – and I want to yell at him '_Just drink the damn water_' and '_Why aren't you sitting up?_' but the words just won't escape my mouth. Instead, I lower myself more to his level and push the glass into his hands.

"Calm down..." I say neutrally, trying to sound assuring in some way.

He takes the glass, but I don't trust the force of his grip and some of his fingers are placed over mine anyway, so we raise the water together.

_Personal space. The concept has officially been cast aside at this point._

He manages to drink some of it but he still takes a while to recover and for a moment I'm grateful he did at all. When I return to my desk and sit down I find my heart beating just a little bit faster with dangerous excitement.

Half an hour later, Grimmjow's sound asleep, drooling on my pillow.

_Somehow, I don't give a damn about that last bit._

* * *

_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, the reviews and adds. Please feel free to be critical as the story goes on. If you have suggestions, ideas, things you'd really like to see written, etc. don't hesitate to include them in a review!_

_Oh, and I realize that I named this chapter 'Of ailing and recovering' while Grimmjow's not recovered yet. If you don't like this, might as well wanna skip some of the chapters because it will take a while for him to get better. This is how it goes in real life as well. So if you don't like this, sorry folks! Give him some time._


	13. Of fever dreams and secondary infections

"_**Of fever dreams and secondary infections"**_

___Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.  
Summary: Ichigo makes a rash decision which leads to the unfortunate situation of him being stuck with Grimmjow. Learning someone to be human is tougher than it seems, especially when that someone is supposed to be your enemy.  
Post-war. Friendship._

_Before continuing the story, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I officially started my first job! This means all the studying and making assignments is over – for now – so I'll have more time to write._

* * *

I'm at dad's Clinic.

Grimmjow's lying in the bed before me. I've taken refuge here while my dad is making dinner at home with Karin and Yuzu. Urahara is here too. He's currently in the medication lab, trying to figure out what he should do or not do to Grimmjow's gigai. He's avoiding me. I think he feels guilty for all this, while honestly, it's not his fault. He's already doing a wonderful job creating these gigai. No one ever asked him to make them as invincible as the souls that inhabit them.

I haven't left the Clinic ever since we came here. I don't think I slept last night, but I'm not sure.

I shudder at the transparent tube around Grimmjow's face that sends sweet oxygen into his nostrils. God, he's looking so pale. I've seen him like this before, when Nnoitra nearly killed him. When I nearly killed him. He looked bloodier then, but he had the same drained appearance as he does now. Honestly, I had never expected to see him like this again. Especially not in this world, especially not without a deathmatch.

My phone rings and I feel it vibrating in the pocket of my pants. It's dad. I flip the screen open and put it against my ear.

"Yeah?"

"Ichigo, son, how is he?"

I shrug for no one to see. "Sleeping. Fine I guess," I say, pensively.

"How's his breathing?"

"Alright. Better..."

"Hm. Is he still coughing?"

"Yeah, but less, I guess. I don't know, dad, maybe you should come and see for yourself. I don't know all this stuff."

I realize I sound defeated when I run my free hand through my entangled hair. I feel a little defeated too, to be honest.

"Will do, son. I'll be there in half an hour or so."

"Bye."

I hang up before he gets the chance to say any more. 

You remember the evening when I was studying and Grimmjow was sick with fever on my bed? Things got a whole lot worse during the night and my dad decided it would be best to come here and seek help from Urahara because of his experience with gigai.

Grimmjow's coughing had remained equally terrible but around bedtime he had seemed unable to catch his breath, which left him panicking, which in turn left him even shorter of breath. His fever had gone through the roof as well. I had tried to calm him down, give him water and get him to sleep, but he had barely listened to anything I said. On the contrary, he became aggravated and volatile, constantly baring his teeth at me and glaring daggers. I had pulled him out of bed and had shoved him upright against my closet – an attempt to get him up so maybe he could breathe easier - and believe me, I'm lucky I got away with only a few scratches.

Not knowing what to do anymore and panicking myself because I was afraid he wouldn't get enough air, I'd called my dad. Fortunately, he immediately realized the urgency and had come home as soon as possible. He'd declared Grimmjow delirious with fever and had given him a sedative – not without getting any scratches himself. I hadn't really seen any effect but dad had refused to give him more because he was afraid his breathing would become too shallow.

Dad had told me to fetch Grimmjow a blanket while he'd gone to the Clinic to get some medication. I remember how Grimmjow had greedily accepted the blanket and had slid down from the closet to curl up in it on the floor. He'd turned away from me while I got closer. Nonetheless I had put my hand on his side and felt his sweat soaked shirt and his exaggerated breathing movements. After that, he hadn't really reacted to my presence anymore.

Then he'd had a bad coughing fit. So bad, he'd dry heaved a couple of times. I'd tried to uncurl him and pull him into my lap but he started thrashing around and wiggling from my grip till he got himself flat on his back on the floor. After that, he had been unable to get enough air so badly I thought he'd die. His lips had gotten pale and his eyelids droopy.

I called my dad.

Correction - I screamed for him to hurry his ass up. I'd been ready to call an ambulance right then and there. The sinking feeling in my gut, which I had felt so many times before, settled in again. Luckily my dad got there in time and pulled my cell phone from my hand before I had a chance to do anything stupid with it.

I remember that dad had kneeled down next to Grimmjow for only a few seconds. He'd said "Get him to the clinic." You know, with that stern doctor look on his face.

I don't really recall how we got there in detail, but we did and I know I was glad. Dad had unceremoniously dropped Grimmjow on one of the beds and had shoved an oxygen canula to his face. Things cleared up after a while and Grimmjow got more color again.

"It's secondary pneumonia," my dad had informed me. It seems like people with a weakened immune system – or a completely new one like Grimmjow, I suppose, _damn gigai_– are vulnerable to getting secondary infections from the flu. 

So that's how I got here. I'm dead tired but unable to fall asleep because there's too many wheels turning in my head. I have schoolwork to finish but I don't have my books here and surely don't wanna go home to fetch them. I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway.

I really hope Grimmjow gets better soon so I can continue with my life again. Things had just gotten quieter after the War and with my closest friends taking over my main responsibility of fighting Hollows in Karakura Town. Also, I think I was just starting to get along with Grimmjow quite alright. I should be 'educating' him so he can go live on his own - instead of sitting here and waiting. And moping.

Muh. 

* * *

"Ichigo."

"Ichigo. Wake up."

"He's a heavy sleeper, Kisuke. Here, let me-"

"No. Don't hit him. Ichigo. Ichigo."

...

"Grimmjow's awake."

_Grimmjow._

Is he alright?

"Grimm.. huuhh.." I murmur. My eyes open while I move to sit upright.

Dad's standing next to me. Apparently I fell asleep on another hospital bed in the Clinic. Weird. I know I heard Urahara's voice too in the background while waking but he's not here anymore.

"Dad. How is he?" I ask, voice still thick with sleep. I have no idea what time it is or how I ended up in this bed. A part of me curses myself for asking about Grimmjow instantly, like he's the only thing on my mind. But the other part of me is too worried and unfocused to care right now.

"He'll be fine, son. Kisuke's giving him different vaccines now. Not that those will help him in his current condition, but it will prevent diseases in the future and it will make his immune system stronger."

"What do you mean 'they won't help him' right now?"

"Vaccines are no medicine, son. And besides, it's a viral infection. Antibiotics won't be effective. We're giving him painkillers and medicine to lower his fever, though."

"Hm," I grunt. I get out of the bed. "What time is it anyway?"

"Around midnight. You fell asleep on a chair."

Fuck. And here I thought it would be morning already. I'll have to get more sleep tonight if I wanna go to school the day after tomorrow. Waking up like this leaves me disoriented and irked.

"I'm gonna see Grimmjow," I say, making my way around one of those hospital bedside tables on wheels. The table is blocked on its way for a second and I bump into it. I whisper a curse and bend down to pull the electricity cable that got stuck behind a little wheel. I make my way out of the room but not without giving the table an extra hard shove.

I feel kind of pissed off at Urahara for some reason. Okay, like I said, it's not his fault that Grimmjow got this sick – he's the one who goes out without decent clothing, I know – but I can't figure out why he wouldn't have thought of the vaccines beforehand. He's made plenty of gigai before. Hundreds of them. For close friends of mine too, like Renji and Rukia. What would happen to them if their gigai got sick? It's an important matter, damnit!

Maybe I'm just pissed off because want Grimmjow to return to his old self. It's been a while since he threatened to kick my ass. And I can't kick _his_ass while he's in this condition. It's frustrating. Worrisome. Alien.

"Hey..." I greet Urahara. He's sitting next to Grimmjow's bed on a chair. On the bedside table, I see multiple emptied syringes and packages of medication.

"Hello, Ichigo," he says, not facing me. He's injecting another vaccine, I think, judging from his movements and the way he's focused on what he's doing.

I hear the quiet flow of oxygen that escapes the canula around Grimmjow's face. It's barely audible. His breathing is much slower than before. Dad explained that's because of the sedation he's given. It's still fitful and raspy though. Apparently that's gonna stay for a while, especially since there aren't antibiotics to cure this with. Apparently it's gonna take at least two weeks for him to get back on track.

"Uhm," I start, hesitating. "...How is he?"

Now Urahara turns. I see an empty syringe in his hand, which he carefully puts on the tablet beside him. He glares at me and smirks. "He'll be fine, Ichigo-kun."

"How can you say that so randomly? You should've seen him before. He was anything but fine. Seriously." I feel my temper flaring up.

"Consider that a crisis. He's through it now. Things will only get better. I spoke with your dad about where he should stay for now. We decided to keep him in the Clinic this night, but then he's free to rest at your home."

I put my hands in my pockets and stare at the floor pensively.

"It would be good for him if someone could stay here for the night. But I should get back to work – finish some... work, you know."

"I'll stay. It's no problem." Saying that is like defeat to me. It's like saying 'Oh by the way, you remember how pissed off I was about Grimmjow being assigned to my care? How I used to hate him? Well now, I kind of like him. Kind of changed my mind just like that. Snap.' Lame. It's corny and sappy and not Kurosaki Ichigo. And even worse, it's anything but Grimmjow. When he's better, he'll laugh at me and call me a faggot. 

* * *

A few hours later, around 3am, I'm still sitting next to Grimmjow. I've made myself comfortable in one of those loungy hospital seats and I'm watching some TV. An overly enthusiastic TV personality is trying hard to sell a new sort of kitchen machine. You can put your vegetables and fruit in it without peeling and the juice neatly comes out. Freaking weird. Just when this TV persona is explaining the mechanism behind the machine, I hear Grimmjow stir under his sheets.

Sloppily he brings up an arm and touches the oxygen canula with his fingers. When I note he's trying to pry it off, I lean forward and gently pull his hand away.

"Don't do that," I murmur.

He moans in a very embarrassing way.

Again he tries to pull the thin canula away, but he gives up when I shove his hand away for a second time. "You're such a pain in the ass, you know that? Even when you're sleeping..." I say quietly.

Then Grimmjow lets out a long, heartfelt groan and blearily he opens his cyanide eyes. He coughs a little for good measure and stares at me like he's just seen a ghost.

"Hey," I say. "You're in dad's Clinic."

I see he needs a moment to process the information. Gazing around shortly, he becomes aware of his surroundings and ads up two plus two. I nod at him.

"You got really sick and we were worried, so dad brought you here."

He doesn't say anything, gazes around some more and then his interest for the canula returns. It's funny because he tries to look at it and ends up cross-eyed.

"Leave it there. It's oxygen."

"Uh?" Even though technically, it's just a grunt, I hear that his voice is a bit raw of misuse.

"Helps you with breathing," I explain. Don't feel like bothering with difficult explanations. Not like he'd care anyway.

With a single click on the remote I turn off the TV and get comfortable in my seat again, pulling my blanket over me and closing my eyes. I leave the dimmed lights on.

"Try to get some more sleep. You need rest."

I hear Grimmjow shifting on the bed again and hope he's keeping his fingers off the oxygen for now.

"-king sorry..."

"What?" I ask.

"I said..." he murmurs slowly, taking deep breaths between words, "I'm fucking... sorry."

A subtle smile appears on my face.

"'s alright, dude, don't worry about it." 

* * *

_So, what did you guys think? :)  
Next chapter the story will move on but I just couldn't resist some sappy hurt/comfort._


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